Category Archives: family

You Get What You Need

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June 27, 2010

We thought we wanted a golden retriever… a goofy, playful, ball chasing, loveable family dog. But, as Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, once said on his show, “You don’t get the dog you want, you get the dog you need.” (I wish I could do the accent; it sounds better with the accent.)

Domino has turned out to be exactly what we needed. He isn’t actually all that playful; I think being kept outside by himself for the first couple of years of his life didn’t teach him much about playing. He doesn’t even seem to notice when a ball bounces by his head. But, he is silly, which is actually more amusing. He is unbelievably adorable and super soft. He doesn’t really play with the kids, but his is unflappable when they play. He is the first dog I have ever seen sniff a tambourine when a child was shaking it… seriously. He is unfailingly gentle, completely bombproof and always ready for loving in any form. The kids can lay on him, poke his feet, pull his ears… it’s all good with him… he takes it as love, which is how it’s actually meant.

John ruining the dog

So, he may not be what we thought we wanted, but he is exactly what we needed. And, we have had a ball with him this weekend. The kids are taking turns having him on their beds at night while reading books… he loves it. Jake put his blanket over himself and Domino today and they lay on the floor and watched TV together.

If you or anyone you know is looking for a dog, I can’t recommend the Death Row Dogs program enough. You can find it at McMuttigans.com. The whole experience was wonderful, from meeting the inmates to getting our super dog. He is very well trained; he knows all his obedience commands and basic good manners, is house-trained and crate trained. He doesn’t jump on you, or rush at the door or chew stuff up; it’s been a wonderful way to get a dog. They get 25 dogs every three months and Domino was the 484th dog they have rescued from euthanization. People come from all over the country to get their dogs and we feel lucky to have found them. They had four dogs from Domino’s class that had not yet found a home, including a beautiful chocolate lab. Surely, someone we know needs a trained dog….

Too hot to do anything this week, but swim and maybe, go to the movies. We go back to the clinic on Thursday for a counts check and, hopefully, they’ll be up so we can get a little more freedom after that.

On a sad note, Ellie, the little girl I asked you to pray for last week, passed away the very next day after my post. I don’t know what else to say about that, except to say cancer sucks.

Love,
Beth

Yay for Domino Day

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June 23, 2010

Domino in the car on the way home

Finally, he’s here. Domino. Staring at me as I write on the computer. Trying to get me to scratch his ears. He is, believe it or not, cuter in person. And, so gentle and laid back. The Dog Whisperer would not have approved of his introduction to our household. Four kids screaming and playing with loud toys, six adults, everyone swarming him at once, Jake hugging him and laying on his back. But, he took it all in stride. He’s just great.

I’ll write more tomorrow about our experience at the prison. It was really inspiring. But, right now, it has been a very long day and there is a spotty dog who will expect a long walk at 6 am, so I’m going to have to stop being such a night owl from now on.

Sorry we didn’t take better pictures. We didn’t get home until 4:30 with Domino and the kids were so excited. We had a small dog fight with the lab next door and then we, ever so briefly, lost our new dog. Jake left the door open and he slipped out. John and I cornered him one street over, but it was a close call. Whew! So, it was a little crazy and we hustled the kids off to bed while we gave Domino a little break in his crate and then realized we forgot to take pictures. Tanner had trouble sleeping and came down later and we snapped a shot of the two of them, so that’s really all we have. We’ll take better pics tomorrow and I’ll write about meeting the inmates that trained him. They did a good job.

Love,
The Happy Pages + a Spotty Dog

1 Day to Domino

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June 22, 2010

Tomorrow is Domino Day… long awaited and much anticipated. Tanner was so excited, she couldn’t go to sleep tonight (the steroids didn’t help, either!) and I find myself in the same position. We’ve been on a 10-day countdown on the chalkboard in the kitchen, and today the kids and I washed down our dog crate to get ready for the big day. John and I will go to the prison tomorrow to meet the inmates that trained Domino and bring him home. The kids made thank you notes for them today. Jake put Star Wars stickers all over them and Tanner made cut out stars. We hope they will let the inmates have them so they can remember what a good thing they have done for a little girl with leukemia and her family.

The kids have been at Vacation Bible School for the past few days. They are having such a good time. I’ve helped with crafts those two days as well and really had fun. Tomorrow is water fun day at VBS, so they are going to have a double-great day, between that and the dog.

We had a great weekend, too. Tanner has been on steroids and feeling some of the effects of the Vincristine, but she accepts it so well now and we know to just move on and it will get better. She can’t really take the heat (and it’s HOT here!) so water activities or indoor activities are the best bet. Saturday, when I came back from running errands, John, Tanner, Jake and four neighborhood kids were in the backyard on our new playground sliding down the slide into the baby pool at the bottom. They were having too much fun! It’s the simple things, right?

Sunday, we gave John a day off for Father’s Day… no simple task, I promise you. I had to practically run my poor workaholic husband out of the house for some much needed R&R. While he was gone, the kids and I went to the grocery store to buy ingredients for seafood gumbo, his favorite food. He came back at dinner time to posters on the door, made by the kids, a balloon, cards and gumbo. Happy man.

I have to tell you about something that happened on Friday that strengthened my belief in Tanner’s vast resolve and determination. She had chemo, if you remember, on Thursday at clinic – Vincristine through her port. Then, Thursday night’s medication concoction – 6mp (chemo), methotrexate (chemo), neurontin (for neuropathy), mepron (antibiotic to prevent pneumonia), amoxicillin (antibiotic for strep throat), Claritin (for allergies), dexamethasone (steroids), pepsid and zofran (for nausea). Good grief! I expected her to be down for the count on Friday. She woke up a little groggy, but after running some errands in the morning, we headed to the YMCA pool for a swim. We got there and Tanner decided she wanted to take the swim test that would allow her to go down the slides and climb the rock wall.

“Today?” I said. “Why don’t we do it another day?”

“No, I want to do it now,” she said.

The lifeguard showed her what she had to do and my chemo-ridden child jumped in the pool and swam the length without stopping or touching the bottom and pulled herself out on the side. The lifeguard and Jake and I cheered her on from the side, following her as she swam down the pool. She looked, at the end, as if she might give up, but stuck it out. I couldn’t have been prouder. I looked at the lifeguard with disbelief and said, “She has cancer and had a boatload of chemo yesterday.” He bent down and told her “Way to go!”

We were putting on sunscreen later and I told her how proud of her I was. Of course, I teared up. Tanner’s response… “Thank goodness you didn’t do that in front of the lifeguard.” Cue eye rolling.

So, we’ve had fun despite the low counts and the steroids and chemo. It beats the alternative, right?

On a more sobering note, please pray for the family (including the twin) of a little girl named Ellie, whose poor cancer-ravaged lungs will not last much longer. Her mother, just days ago, was blogging how she was not ready to give up on a miracle and was still encouraging Ellie to fight. Today, I read where this same mother has not only had to accept the inevitable for her daughter, but has courageously swallowed her own grief to try to help her daughter accept her fate as well. Imagine trying to assure an 8-year-old that it is all right to die now. Cancer is heartless.

Love,
Beth

Clinic Day #35

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June 17, 2010

Protected during treatment by Mr. Larry's St. Christpher medal

Tanner’s counts had just come up to 710 today from 650 last week, BUT, Dr. Mixon felt that given how good she feels and how great the rest of her numbers look, and the fact that it is summertime, that we should send her to Vacation Bible School next week – hallelujah!!!

So glad we didn’t have to disappoint her again. She is really excited about going and it will be Jake’s first time to go, so he is excited, too.

She got her dose of Vincristine today through her port and will start steroids tonight. It was a very smooth visit, but I am thoroughly tired anway.

Jake spent the day with Aunt Beth (thank God for Aunt Beth) and had a ball.

Now, just keep your fingers crossed she doesn’t get sick again.

Love,
Beth

Love Letter to Tanner

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June 15, 2010

Mothers and Daughters have it tough. Our relationships are not always the easiest. Maybe it’s because our daughters fall too close to home that we find it somewhat easier to parent a boy, or at least I do. But, what I hope Tanner realizes, in the middle of all the mom-daughter tussles, is that I love her completely and really do want the best for her.

The beauty of this blog is that maybe someday she’ll see that. That even though it didn’t always come out right, I was always doing my best and that anything I did came from a place of love.

So, this post is a love letter to Tanner. A letter that she can read when she’s old enough to understand some of the grown-up things I write about here, and old enough to forgive her Mom for the blunders and maybe even understand where I was coming from. But, mostly, for her to see how much — how very much — I love her.

Dear Tanner:

I hope by the time you read this, that this leukemia business is far in our past and we have moved on to arguing about what you will wear to school or whether it’s okay to wear makeup or not. I’m thinking you won’t remember much about being treated for leukemia, but I know it will have shaped who you are. Maybe reading this blog will help you understand some of things you do, and some of the things Daddy and I have done.

I don’t know who you will become, but I do know one thing… you will be strong. You would have been strong before this damn cancer, but after you will be a force to be reckoned with. There will be nothing you can’t do.

Being your Mom is a privilege I wouldn’t trade for all the power jobs or peaceful Saturday afternoons in the world. If it hasn’t always felt that way to you, I apologize. Being a Mom, and maybe particularly a stay-at-home Mom, is decidedly unglamorous. And, I’m a pretty lousy homemaker, so I probably gripe about that part. But, never doubt that I stayed home with you and Jake because I wanted to… desperately. I didn’t want to miss one minute of the wonder that has been you. I didn’t want to look back and have not been a part of all the things that made you grow into the wonderful young woman I know you are becoming.

I’m sure it won’t always be easy for us… we are too alike. You have inherited my stubbornness, which makes us a little like gasoline and matches at times. As long as you can remember that being right doesn’t equal happy (I’m still trying to get that one down), your stubbornness can serve you well. It will help you not give up, but instead work harder than everyone else. And, it will free you to be yourself all the time and not care too much what other people think.

I’m going to try to practice what I’m preaching here and admit that I haven’t always been right when it comes to being your Mom. You are a hard cookie to parent with a strong will, but a bright spot of joy also, and I have often struggled with how to teach you right from wrong without breaking your beautiful spirit. If I haven’t done it right, it wasn’t because I didn’t want to or because I wasn’t trying or because I didn’t care. It was because I am human, and what you will learn someday is that there is no instruction manual for raising a child and we all just do the best we can. In particular, there’s no instruction manual for raising a child with leukemia and few qualified people to ask for advice.

Daddy and I were nearly broken in two when we found out you had leukemia. It was, without a doubt, the worst day of my life. Either one of us would have gladly taken your place rather than watching you suffer so. The physical treatment was hard on you, but it was the isolation that was the really tough thing for you to swallow. You are a social butterfly and love people, so being kept out of school and away from friends and activities was so difficult for you. I know you blamed me for a lot of that, because I was usually the one breaking the news that you couldn’t go to a birthday party, or spend Thanksgiving with family, or go to the beach with your cousins. And, that’s okay. I just hope that one day, maybe when you’re a Mom yourself, you’ll get that being a parent means loving someone enough to let them hate you when you have to. We did everything we could to keep you safe and assure that you had a life to live at the end of this seemingly endless chemo.

When I was a little girl, I thought my Daddy was stronger than anyone. I knew he and my Mom would never let anyone or anything hurt me. I am sorry that you had to learn at age 5 that the bogeyman is bigger than Mommy and Daddy put together. It’s not a fair age to learn that and we did everything we could to retain your childhood, but cancer is ugly and you are too bright to not notice that no one could ever really promise you would be okay. You must have been so scared and I wish I could have made it better.

I want to make sure, more than anything else, that you walk away from reading this letter knowing three things: 1) I haven’t been the perfect Mom, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. It’s not the easiest job, this Mom business, but I love it and I wouldn’t have it any other way. 2) I am prouder of you than you will ever realize. You have been braver, stronger and more poised than I could have ever been in the same situation. 3) I love you… fiercely and completely… just the way you are. And, I always will.

I hope this helps… for you to understand what happened to you, and to our family, many years ago, and for you to realize that you have been all I could ask for from a daughter.

I love you, T.
Mom

Feeling Better

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May 28, 2010

Tanner slept for 13 ½ hours last night. She woke once for zofran for nausea and once for oxycodone for generally feeling crappy, but awoke this morning feeling pretty good and stayed that way all day. All the same, we slowed it down today. Ran errands in the morning and hung around here in the afternoon, painting and making up Star Wars plays. We ventured outside for about 10 minutes before it rained on us and forced us back inside, which was A-okay. I think some rest was a good idea.

So far so good with the steroids… she usually doesn’t feel bad until about day 3, although generally we’ll see some mood swings and emotional behavior on day two, which will be tomorrow. They’ve upped her chemo again; her counts were at 1700, which is still too high, so they added one pill to her weekly five-pill dose of methotrexate. That puts her at 100% dosage for both 6MP and methotrexate, which is the goal. I don’t expect her to have boatloads of energy or feel particularly well while adjusting to the change, though. Methotrexate seems to have a greater effect on her than the 6MP; in fact, it’s what made her so sick yesterday. Hopefully, she’ll adjust and be feeling good in time for theater camp.

Tanner had strawberries today for the first time in a very long time. She rolled them in whipped cream after dinner tonight and talked about eating strawberries and whipped cream all morning long tomorrow. Sometimes it’s the small things that matter the most.

John and I sat tonight looking at old videos of Tanner and Jake when they were really little. Tanner was so articulate at such a young age that hers are really funny, because you can really understand all the nonsense she is spouting. We laughed and laughed at some of the things she did and then I saw Millie, our beloved and deceased border collie in one of the videos and teared up. Well, once I started I kept on. I sat watching a video of Tanner being hugged by Pluto in Disney world. She is not quite three in the video and has the most beautiful, long blond hair. I found myself crying with my hand over my mouth trying to hold it in. She was so happy and sweet and innocent. John looked at me, puzzled. I just said, “You hope for so much for them when they’re little like that. We just would have never dreamed she would end up with cancer.”

I think, in retrospect, what I was crying about was the innocence of our family at that time. We had so much fun on that trip and we had no reason to ever believe anything but the best would happen for us. Every parent’s worst fear is that something awful will happen to their child. But, for us at that time, and for most people, it is a distant and improbable thought. I think once the improbable becomes reality, you lose an innocence you once had as a parent. Instead, you wake every day thinking that that “awful thing” that once seemed distant, now looms omnipresent in your life. Any day could be THE day, and anything is possible.

Some days, I only think about it for a fleeting moment. Like today, when we were at Sam’s Club eating lunch and Tanner got up to go get some napkins. I watched her as she walked away from our sanitized table and saw her, ever so briefly, drag her hand across another table as she walked by. In that moment, I thought, “Oh please, don’t touch your mouth, please.” Because that germ on that table could be the one her body won’t be able to fight. She didn’t touch her face, and when she returned to our table, I gave her some hand sanitizer and the moment was gone.

Both John and I went through a time when we were mad about that loss of innocence. Mad that we could no longer just send in a donation when we got those St. Jude’s mailing labels and not think about it again until next year. I now see too many children suffering and it is on my mind much of the time. We’re no longer mad about it; we’ve accepted it. But still, it sucks all the same.

I’d give anything to go back to the way I felt at that moment in Disney, but I know I won’t. I know I’ll never look at things the same way, though I look forward to a time when I won’t have to contemplate my child’s life on a daily basis.

Love,
Beth

Our Last Night

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May 14, 2010

We went our separate ways today. We were all planning on returning to the Magic Kingdom to hit all the attractions we couldn’t get to on Tuesday, but I had a feeling that Jake needed a break. So, I asked him this morning, “Jake, would you rather go to Magic Kingdom and ride the Buzz Lightyear ride or go to the pool?” As I suspected, the pool won out. There’s only so much overstimulation a three-year-old can take, particularly one who likes to toodle around as much as he likes a big event.

Tanner, on the other hand, never gets enough overstimulation… bring it on! So, she and John went to Magic Kingdom and Jake and I played around the pool, took a walk on the nature trail, chased some lizards, scared a turtle and, generally, just took it easy. He took a big nap and will be ready for our last day tomorrow at Animal Kingdom!

Tanner and John blew it out at Magic Kingdom. Without Jake and I to weigh them down and with the trusty Wish Button at hand, they tore up the park at lightening speed and returned home in the late afternoon, happy and sated.

As always in the Village, there was a party this evening… a Pirates and Princess party. So, we ate dinner, got faces painted and tattoos sprayed on at the spa and headed over to the pool for a great time. All the kids got to go on stage and be presented as Pirates or Princesses to the crowd and there were some hilarious pirates leading the dancing and fun, not to mention characters from Sea World. Amazing!

So, we’re sad it’s our last night… really sad. This has been such a respite to the drill that is cancer treatment and when we get back, chemo will come back, too. Back to the hospital, to the poking and steroids and… yuck! But, we will have these memories to hold us up for a while. And we can look at the pictures and talk about all the fun we had and thank Tanner for taking us all to Disney for a week… on her.

Tomorrow, we’ll check out and head to Animal Kingdom for our last day of fun. When we leave the park, we’ll head home and get as far down the road as we can before we have to stop for the night. We are welcome back here in the Village anytime we wish – but as day visitors, not overnight guests. And, I think we will come back again, to remember and to continue to thank those who make this gift possible.

Love,
Beth

The Magic of Being Special

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May 13, 2010

John suggested two titles for my post today:

1) Is there anything a Superhero cannot fix?
2) Have you ever been put to bed by a six-foot rabbit?

It’s a good day when you can come up with two humdingers like that!

We started out this morning tired… very tired. Jake was coughing… a lot. And, Tanner was definitely not her peppy self. We decided we would just go to Universal, stay for a couple of hours and come home. When we got there, we discovered that Universal is no Disney World. You walk a long way to get into the park and the workers didn’t seem nearly as kind or customer service oriented. The kids were comatose, just going through the motions.

Then, as we were walking through Super Hero Island, some loud music came blaring out of the speakers and Superheros came riding down the street on three-wheelers. Jake and Tanner were mesmerized and we got in line, immediately, to get autographs and pictures. No heading to the front of the line here, we just waited with everyone else, hot and tired… bummer.

Then, Captain America noticed Tanner’s button and asked her a few questions and pointed her in the direction of… Andy… the true Superhero of the day. Andy pulled us aside and escorted us to a quiet, shaded spot where after about five minutes, we were treated to our own private superhero meet and greet!!!! Hurray! We were special again and the kids were enthralled. The Superheros were so kind to the kids and spent so much time with them. We will be forever grateful.

That moment turned the day around. Everyone perked up, we spent some quality time with the Dr. Suess characters as well, rode some rides, saw a Sinbad show, ate a little lunch and headed home in time for naps.

After dinner, the Village turned into Winter Wonderland! There were Christmas decorations everywhere, horse and carriage rides, Santa Claus, a Christmas parade and even snow from a snow machine. Unbelievable! Tanner and her new friend Maddy, raced around dancing with the parade characters and decorated some Christmas cookies while Jake and I chased a reindeer around and played in the fake snow.

We hustled the kids home for bed, who were indignant that we cut the party a little short for them. But, we had a special surprise… Ms. Merry, the wife of the Mayor Clayton of Give Kids the World Village (and a six-foot rabbit) came to tuck the kids in and put them to bed. They were enchanted. She led them to bed, pulled up the covers, checked under the bed for monsters and turned out the lights. Of course, after she left, John and I spent a good half-hour trying to get them calm enough to go to sleep!

Here’s the thing about being here. It’s not just the amusement parks or this amazingly fun village or anything else that there is to do here. It’s how special the kids feel. How after so many months of sacrifice, disappointment and pain, they feel magically, wonderfully special. That is the magic of this trip and we will be forever grateful to all the volunteers and employees of Make-A-Wish, Give Kids the World Village and the theme parks for making our kids have one shining, magical week in the midst of this hardship.

Love,
Beth

HUGE Day!!!

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May 12, 2010

Wow! Three little letters to cover such a big, big day! We started with pony rides and complementary cowboy hats and ended with dancing, swimming and a magic show by the Village pool and splash park.

The day started kind of shaky. We went to pony rides and then Tanner said she had to go to the bathroom and threw up while we were in there. I was sure she was developing some kind of stomach virus and that our trip was officially over, but we headed back to the Villa to wait it out and see how she did. It’s not unheard of for Tanner to be sick from chemo and the concoction of other drugs she takes, but it’s not common either. Fortunately, that seemed to be the case, and 45 minutes later, we were on our way to Disney Hollywood.

Awesome stunt from the car and motorcycle show

We met up with Meredith and her parents, Bo and Sara, at Disney Hollywood and had a ball. Jake was in heaven. First, we got to meet some Power Rangers, then the kids got their faces painted and Jake looked like Flash Gordon, then we saw the car and motorcycle stunt show! Race cars, motorcycles and fire!!! Woo hoo! Every boy’s dream.

... and Jake's reaction to the awesome car stunt!!!

Tanner and Meredith had a ball, too. They got to see a High School Musical show and were chosen to dance with the dancers in the parade.

Beauties and the Beast

Again, we were treated like royalty. The fun thing today, though, was that Jake thought it was him that was getting us in to all the rides and shows first. One worker made a mistake and directed all her attention to him instead of Tanner and we all let him have his shining moment. He has also started showing his Wish Button at the entrance gate to the Village and saying, “I got you guys in!” with a huge grin on his little face. In reality, Tanner has the special Wish button that gets us everything, but we’re all wearing smaller wish buttons and we all have special stickers for the Disney Parks that let the workers know we’re with a Wish Kid. It’s amazing how kind they all are. They even let Meredith and her family come to the front of the line with us.

Tanner is feeling better today and coughing much less. I think we’re coming to the end of the virus, so maybe John and I will be able to relax and enjoy ourselves a little more. It’s been pretty unnerving to figure out how far to let her go and how much rest to force. Every time she would have a big coughing spasm, we would give each other a knowing look… the one that says, “This could be bad.”

Tanner and Meredith busting a move in the parade

Spending the day with Meredith let me know how much less stamina Tanner has than a normal kid. There was a parade at Disney Hollywood this afternoon and John and Bo went to get food for us all while the kids and Sara and I claimed a spot to watch the parade. It was hot sitting on the sidewalk and by the time the food came, no one really wanted it too much. When the parade ended, Tanner came to me crying and said she wanted to go home. We carried her (and Jake, who had not had a nap) back to the car. I think the heat really affected her, because after a rest and some food in the cool air conditioning in the Villa, she was ready to go again. But, Meredith and her family stayed at the park, I assume for hours.

We ended the day with a swim in the awesome pool and splash park at the Village. We ate dinner by the pool and then there was a pool party. Sponge Bob was there and Tanner danced and danced, while Jake swam and swam. We came home tired and ready for a good night’s rest.

We’re off to Universal Studios tomorrow. Home of Spiderman (need I say more?), Dr. Seuss and Shrek. Lots of shows and rides. Tomorrow night is Winter Wonderland at the Village… Santa Claus!!!

Love,
Beth

The Magic in the Magic Kingdom

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May 11, 2010

Walt Disney, I could kiss you… and all the wonderful people who work in your unbelievable wonderland of fun.

We started out the day in the Village with autographs and photos of Boots from Dora the Explorer, then made the trek to the Magic Kingdom for one awesome day. Tanner’s coughing is still bad, but still no fevers. She clearly didn’t feel herself this morning, though. She was determined to be there, but not her usual animated self. I began thinking we were losing the battle and was wondering what the children’s hospital here would be like. But, a visit with the princesses and fairies really perked her up and she actually seemed somewhat better this afternoon.

Can I just tell you what being able to go to the front of the line at Disney means to us? I know many of you who have been to Disney are salivating at that concept, but I finally fully understood today why this privilege is extended to Wish kids. It’s not just because they deserve it (which they, of course, do), but because most could not do Disney without it. We were able to ride and do probably four times the amount of stuff today than we would have if we had to wait. And, Tanner wouldn’t have lasted otherwise. Just standing in the lines is too much for her over time. By skipping the lines, we spend most of our time sitting on rides and riding in the stroller and she is able to last long enough for us to have a good time. It’s essential… and really cool!

Jake experiencing the wonder of It's a Small World

She gets the total royal treatment. When we went to see the princesses, we were escorted by the nicest lady, through the exit line into the princess room where the princesses spent tons of time doting on my girl. They had real conversations and Tanner was fully wrapped in magic. Jake, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with those princesses, but was pretty smitten with Tinkerbell. After the princesses, the lady took us next door to see the fairies, too. Wow! Talk about feeling special.

We left at just the right time, before everyone was completely exhausted, and after some rest, went to dinner in the Village. Tanner and Jake got to make pillows with a pillow machine and we found Tanner’s star, which she decorated last night, mysteriously placed on the ceiling overnight by the star fairy. There are thousands of gold stars on the ceiling of the Castle of Miracles in the Village… both and inspiring and a sobering sight. Makes you wonder why so many kids need to face life threatening illnesses.

We skipped Village Idol night (an American Idol spin-off) because Tanner was coughing non-stop and we wanted to get her in bed on time. Tanner will forever believe that event was canceled… she would never forgive us.

Her coughing appears to be a virus… one which Jake unfortunately seems to be catching. But, tomorrow marks seven days of coughing, so hopefully, we are on the down side of hers. If she had pneumonia or something else, she would have had a fever by now. They both had a virus like this over the winter, and it passed uneventfully.

So, tomorrow we’re starting with some pony rides in the Village. Then, it’s off to Disney Hollywood – High School Musical, Star Wars, Playhouse Disney, etc. We’re going with Tanner’s friend, Meredith, who happens to be here this week, too. Her Dad is being deployed soon, so this is a special trip for them, too, and we’re glad to be sharing tomorrow with them.

Feel the Magic!

Love,
Beth