What's Today like?

Well Devree has not been doing her best these last couple of days. The doctors told us that some times the effects of radiation can make you tired and sick for weeks after you are done. Devree did the v word yesterday and has not been feeling up to going to seminary. She got really discouraged last night because I think she was over tired. We went and saw "Race to Witch Mountain" as a family for family home evening. We all felt like a truck ran over us this morning because it made a late evening. Todd thinks that when she doesn't drink enough water, it starts the road to nausea. She still is not eating the way I wish she would. Devree did tell us that yesterday her right eye started watering. Last night when she was crying, it did not cry though.

Yesterday I went to Dayton High School and signed her up for homebound school. Brother Watts will be her teacher. This will help her stay on track to finish her freshman year. She will have all summer to get her work done too. For those times on chemotherapy where she will not feel very well. The St. Jude Psychologist did some testing on Devree and said she is at college level on most things. Devree is thinking of finishing school earlier. I recommended not doing that. I don't think it was that beneficial to be at BYU when I was 15. I don't know how my mother let me do it? I guess because my older sister Kalene was in the same apartment as me, some of the time. But there is no way I could let Devree go to college at 15.

I really don't have to worry about that with Devree because we need to kick this cancer, FIRST! I have now hung up the new family picture on the wall. The one that is one this blog, in the tiny spot on the right. Devree really doesn't like how her face looks, but I love that picture and we enlarged it and put it on our family picture wall. She didn't complain too much!

Here is my message for today. Don't postpone having fun as a family. You never know when something may come and interrupt your life!

Love, Shana

More on Monday!

We had a wonderful day at the Roesler's and saw Ruby Brody, Leah and Laura Wall, The Corless' and Shannon and Ray came to visit us there. It was really fun to see Lydia all grown up and reminisce with Mike and Karen of things that have happened in Fernley over the years. Cherie Corless really worked hard to get the horses ready and we really appreciate her hard work. Todd will put in pictures later.

Yesterday we got alot of planning done about what we are going to do this summer. We planned out when Todd and the boys will be visiting and there will be alot of flying back and forth. We want everyone that can go, to go to the Mackley Reunion, and we want Noble and Shay to go to their Scout weeks. But Dane and Shay are going to stay with Devree and I most of the summer. We had to find out from Brother Workman when school was going to start next year. He told me something I didn't know. St. Jude wrote him a letter about having Devree be a Homebound student. Brother Watts is her homebound teacher and I thought that was interesting because we are only here for 3 weeks because of the spring break. But this will help Devree too with her algebra and science. I had talked to Brother Watts about homebound seminary, but I guess we will do 2 birds with 1 stone.

Thanks again for the Mia Maid class in CV1 ward for the lovely casseroles. Todd and the boys will eat them when we are gone.

Thanks to Paul for bringing the eggs to our house and the math game for the Charter School.

About the charter school, we had a meeting at Arianne's and found out that other charter schools consider us competition for Federal funds. There hasn't been that much interest in it so I don't know if we can make it go. We will keep trying and I am going to a big Northern Nevada charter school meeting this week.

Thanks for still looking at the blog and seeing how we are doing.

Love, Shana

Super Duper Saturday!

I forgot to say for those that want to know what we are fasting for... we are still fasting that Devree will get her eye to close and make tears and that she will get her smile and expression back on her right side.

We are planning to have a lot of fun tomorrow and we will blog about it later. Noble is going to get contact lenses, Devree is going shopping for books with her friend, we are going to Fernley to visit friends and possibly ride horses, then Devree is going to a "Twilight" party.
Love, Shana

Friday is Here!

Well when some lovely mom's at Target House asked what I was going to do when I got home, I said about a 1,000 things. Sure enough it has felt like that. As soon as I came home from the airport we hit the ground running. I did laundry, cut Todd's and the boys hair, got ready for Sunday. Then this past week I got my teeth cleaned, got blood work done, saw my doctor, took Dane to the dentist 3 times, cleaned house, ironed clothes (all of Todd's) did the T-shirt order, did our taxes, balanced the 2 checkbooks, did Visiting Teaching stuff, shopped for Easter and that is just a few things.

I have 2 more doctor appointments and Dane has such bad teeth we thought he needed a root canal, but the tooth is still growing, (a permanent tooth) and didn't need one. The first dentist couldn't do it. The second dentist, I think, is better for kids.

It has been so lovely being home. There haven't been too many visitors and we are going to Fernley on Saturday to visit people there. We will be at the Roesler's at 2pm if you want to visit us. They offered to let the boys horseback ride and visit all of their critters.

Today we will take the boys out of school and go to see a movie. I will take Shay and Dane and get them new suits because Shay turns 12 soon and will be ordained a Deacon and Dane will get baptized soon. All while I will be gone, so I want to do some things that need to be done around here while I will be gone for 4 months. I really can't even think about that because I get so sad. Todd just said a Mary Poppins quote "Once begun is half done." There are some things to look forward to when we go back like seeing "Wicked" and I think I will have Shay and Dane stay with us for probably 2 months. We really miss seeing Jackson, Kallie, Talon, Tayzia, Celest and Breck while we are out here.

Devree is doing quite well. She is eating a little better and she is using less and less of her nausea medicine. She says the boys at seminary won't talk to her and treat her like she has a catching disease. She really enjoys seminary and she really liked going to school during lunchtime the other day.

I am really looking forward to going to California to see my parents and the mini reunion with my siblings as well. Nothing like California in the springtime! In my minds eye and minds nose, I can smell the orange blossoms right now and see the green grass everywhere.

Have a spectacular Spring Day! (Sorry all of you Canadians don't have spring yet!)
Love, Shana

Christmas in March???

Devree has been feeling the love (Lots of letters and packages that helped her through the down times). We learned that sometimes the siblings of cancer kids will pretend that they are sick so that they can get attention too. Well Aunt Mary & Uncle John wanted to make sure the boys were feeling loved too. So they put together a package for Noble, Shay, and Dane.


Shay is so excited to open his packages.


Dane is showing off his share.


Noble is trying to go and hang out at Joey and Jason Joiner's house, but he can't help but get caught up in the excitement. Ray King is taking pictures for us. Could Shay's smile be any bigger? They were all having a lot of fun!!!


Shay and Dane happily hugging.


Displaying all of the treasure!

Thank you so much Aunt Mary and Uncle John!!! It was like a Christmas in March at our house.

Devree had packages waiting for her at home. She especially loves her "Cars" pillow case. Mater the tow truck is her favorite.

The Devree report is that she got a little low on fluids and was worn out on Tuesday. She ate 2 or 3 crackers and then slept for 30 minutes. The soda in the crackers settled her tummy and she was able to take her pills without throwing up. She was able to catch-up on her fluids today, but is still battling a little tiredness, aches and pains. I guess that goes with the territory (Now it is Thursday morning and Devree is back to feeling good!).

We found out that the young women at church had all coordinated to wear their "Team Devree" shirts. Poor Devree missed out on that. We felt bad about it, beacause Devree was so adamant about not missing her young women's night.

Love you all!!!
Todd

Great To Have The Girls Home!

It is wonderful to have Shana and Devree home. Everything seems to be back to normal. Shana and I dread the thought of being apart for the 4 months of chemo that will begin on April 22, 2009.

Things were not back to normal immediately. I thought we had done alright, but there were a few things that Shana and Devree pointed out right away. There were very light muddy dog footprints where the rug for wiping your feet should be. Devree asked why the rug had been moved in front of Shay’s bedroom door. As I was asking myself why I hadn’t noticed, Shana went on to ask me why 2 pictures were missing off the wall. At this point I was feeling embarrassed about missing something so obvious. (We found 1 picture on the floor nearby, but the other picture is still missing.)

The sisters at church asked me if they could come and clean. Next time I’ll have to consider that more seriously. I’m sure these good women would have noticed things like that.

I thought we had done ok with bathrooms, but Shana disagreed and quickly remedied that situation.

Shana was willing to let me assume the duties of “Food Nazi” and “Pill Pusher”. I am happy to help with that job. Devree says that Grandpa Hamblin is her favorite “Food Nazi”. If she would eat 3 potato chips, he would eat 1 on the sly and let her take the credit.

Devree looks great!!! She has good coloring, good spirits, and she is happy being able to sleep in her own bed. However, she is as skinny as a super model, and there is no camera to add 10 pounds. We will have to work on fattening her up. So if you have any ideas for adding pounds… Devree needs you!!!

Lots of love to all of you!!!
Todd

Last Radiation of Devree's Life!

A small highschool jazz band from Iowa that played at the hospital. I got so homesick thinking of Noble and all of the other wonderful jazz kids. Mrs. Bum they had about the same numbers of every instrument just like Dayton. This band was in Memphis for a Band Tour and they were really awesome. Not quite as awesome as Dayton.

Having her balloons that say she is a gold star and "Operation Radiation Complete".

Nurse Devin throwing the confetti.

After she had her mask taken off and showing all of the world that it is thumbs up to be done with radiation and showing her bald head for the first time.l

Well we came with our camera and we took pictures. The child life specialist asked for any special requests that Devree had yesterday. Devree had seen children get balloons and a T-shirt that says "Operation Radiation - Mission Accomplished". Devree requested confetti, TOO. The child life specialist said there was a Doctor at St.Jude's that really doesn't like confetti but that she would break the rules for Devree.

So we got here at 8:30 and I went in and saw how she is strapped to a table. Then the mask that is molded to her face is clamped down and the radars are aligned perfectly. We go behind the foot thick door out to the computers that then do all of the work. The cat scan that St. Jude is trying to get FDA approval make sure the radiation is right on the money. It was so WONDERFUL because her tumors have shrunken and you could even tell on the CAT scan and the Lab techs showed me before and afters. YEA!

I took pictures of the homemade confetti that they threw but we forgot our camera cable to hook up to my handy dandy laptop. I will connect later.

We will blog once in awhile at home. We found out we have to fly back the 21st of April. So we start back appointments on Todd's birthday. How sad. Oh well we already have his birthday present. Have a WHOOP de DOO kind of day!