The end of a chapter...

Here's Scott and the kids, gathered around his truck this morning as he bids farewell to the current chapter of his life....

Today marks his last day of work with Hansen Information Systems/Infor Global Solutions. Scott started there 4 years ago as Controller and soon after became Chief Financial Officer. When Hansen was bought in 2007 by Infor Global Scott took on a new role as VP of Finance. That position is being eliminated and thus he will be moving on to find another job. We're anxious about what the future holds and hope that we can find a job that can be as rewarding and exciting for Scott as his work at Hansen/Infor has been. Who knows what the future will bring??

Definitions...

I'm so glad to be off of steroids...however i must say that there is still a good amount of toxins left in my body, or else I would be losing weight for sure! After 3 weeks of consistent exercise and eating super healthy I haven't lost even one pound! I weigh just the same as I did at my Dr. apt 3 weeks ago TODAY! Grr..very frustrating...anyhow, in googling to find out WHY this is happening to me I came across this from a PDF file on a Breast Cancer website. I thought it was worth posting a few paragraphs from the article. My cancer is considered CNS (Cancer of the central nervous system). This is definitely what I have: Unwanted (and Unnatural) Weight Gain


UNWANTED WEIGHT GAIN
DEFINITION:
Unwanted weight gain is an increase in body weight that is of concern to an
individual. It may occur in some cancer patients as a result of the cancer
itself, cancer treatment (including surgery, chemotherapy, and hormone
therapy) or medications used to control the side effects of the cancer or
treatment (eg. steroids).

Weight gain appears most common in breast cancer and cancers of the central
nervous system (CNS), gynecological cancers, lymphoma and Hodgkin’s disease.
Prevention and/or treatment of unwanted weight gain in patients with cancer is
important for improving quality of life, enhancing body image, facilitating
patients’ sense of control, and has the potential to enhance overall survival in
women with breast cancer (1,3,4).

POSSIBLE CAUSES
Steroid Use:
Weight gain frequently results from the use of steroids, such as Decadron®
(dexamethasone), prescribed for the control of nausea and/or inflammation in
patients with breast cancer, cancers of the CNS, lymphoma and Hodgkin’s
disease. Long-term use of steroids causes weight gain primarily due to an
increase in energy intake resulting from an enhanced appetite

Just some photos..

I have a few photos I haven't posted yet and I wanted to share them on the blog! This one is from Valentine's Day. We celebrated a Family Valentine's Day last year and decided to continue the tradition this year.

We had a pink/red dinner and then took the kids out to frozen yogurt. Here they are after we got home enjoying their dessert!! Not so romantic but memorable as a family...

Cameron's pet gecko has grown so much in the past few months. Here he is with Gecky!

This weekend we enjoyed a visit from our good friends from our life in Mountain View, CA. It was so great to be together! Thanks for visiting..the kids had a great time together!!

Teaching Preschool

I've been busy the past few weeks teaching preschool and enjoying my kids being off track. I am involved in a homeschool preschool rotation for Dallyn and the past 2 weeks were my turn to teach. The first week we learned about baking--all the activities/writing/math etc. tied into that theme. This week we learned about Patterns and Pirates. We had a great time...here is my cute boy wearing his chef's outfit. The kids are so darling and we sure had a fun time. I can't believe my little guy is going to be in Kindergarten soon!! =( He's growing up too fast!

Baking with Mom

Kaylie and I got into the Valentine Spirit by making my Grandma Ralph's sugar cookie recipe! Yum, yum! We sure had fun and the cookies were yummy!

The Snowstorm

Oh, bytheway...we got stuck in a snowstorm on the way home from skiing. Here is us following the CalTrans truck...

Look at all the snow!!

A big rig had skidded off the road into the embankment! Yikes!!

Dallyn wasn't much phased by it all..he just conked out on the way home. Wish I could have..I was too nervous!!

Snow Skiing Trip

This past week we took our three older children snow-skiing for the first time. It was the first time Scott and I had been in about 8 years so I sure felt like a beginner all over again!! We put Kaylie and Cameron in ski lessons and taught Dallyn on our own. After everyone got over how cold it was---23 degrees, plus wind and snowing on us pretty much all day long---everyone had a good time!!

Here is Dallyn on the learning slope. He struggled in the morning since he was so cold, but after the two of us hung out by the fire for awhile, he was ready to hit the slopes again. In the afternoon he did great. I guess he--and I--got used to the freezing cold!

Scott and Dallyn were ski pals during the afternoon and I stuck close to the older kids. All four of us skied together which was fun, but I kept tabs on the older kids as they went a lot faster than Scott and Dallyn did. I couldn't believe how well they were doing by the end of the day.

So I realized at the end of the day that I wasn't in any photos--so here's to prove that I really was there. Now I only skied a little bit because my LEGS and KNEES have issues still, plus my strength isn't that great. But since we only paid $20 for my lift ticket I was ok with that. I knew this would be a trip for spending time with the kids which was really fun!! =) Scott took off and did a few real runs while I skiied with the kids, so he enjoyed that. Anyhow--we had a great time! Thanks to Grandma Black for coming to stay with Kyler so we could do this!!

Our Snow Trip

Here's Scott putting on our snow chains!! That was quite an experience...we've never driven with chains on before.

Look at how pretty the trees are!

Here are Kaylie and Cameron coming down the hill during their lessons!!

Here are our expert skiers! They did such a great job!! =)

Making Valentines

The kids and I had fun making Valentine cards today. The children came up with their ideas all on their own! I can't believe Kaylie..she has amazing talent!! =)

Cameron and Dallyn got to use any scraps and ribbons they wanted...Cameron is so creative! See the mosquito on the bear's head? So fun!

Dallyn did one frog card with scraps and one basketball card and he even added ribbon! He learns from the best! =) Then he drew a boy playing basketball on the front too!

I'm so glad my boys enjoy stamping with me!! =)

Let's See Those Muscles..

Look at the cute faces on these weightlifters!! Dallyn thought of this all on his own!! =)

And then some smiles.. =) My boys are just darling..

The After Photo!

So here it is! Finally the after photo for all Scott's work. He had to run electrical, etc. etc. for our new toy!! Our family purchased a Hot Tub and I finally took a photo of the family enjoying it last night. Yes, we are aware that children can't go in hot tubs...so it was only 95 degrees like a warm bath. Not so much fun for Scott and I but great for the kids!! We purposely left the heat down yesterday so the kids could go in with us.

Scott has wanted a hot tub for years and over the past 2 years I have spent TONS of time in our jacuzzi in our bathroom. Recently my muscle pain has been so bad I've been in the tub every single night, just to be able to sleep I have to relax in hot water. This got us thinking a bit more seriously about it and we started looking on craigslist for hot tubs.

This brought us to this company that buys tubs, refurbishes them and then sells them. We are always for a great deal so this sounded great to us. Scott looked on their website at some options. Most were old tubs, but at least they were cheap. We stopped looking for a bit as we got busy with other things. Then on Jan 16th we decided just to drop by this place to check out what they had. They had JUST received this brand new 6 person hot tub from Costco 2 days earlier. A fork lift operator had run the fork lift through the side of the tub. So this company bought it since it was damaged--but never been used.

Guess what?? Scott found this tub online for $4400 MORE Than we paid!! We got a steal on this tub! The stereo face plate is broken and there is a patchjob on the inside where the forklift went through the wall. With the jets going you can't even see it. The side paneling doesn't match since they had to replace the paneling due to the damage, but again...its all cosmetic stuff. The great thing is this tub is AWESOME!!

It has some 70 jets!! All the seats have specialty functions and they are super deep! There are jets in the center raised area for your feet. One special seat even massages your neck (its a deep seat!) The kids enjoy the lights show from the lights you can change and there is a waterfall too. Seriously, this thing has so many bells and whistles!! We love having it and its so great that I can jump in here every night instead of filling up the bathtub. The jets are so much more powerful too!! Anyhow--we'll have to invite you over soon--if you live nearby---to try out our new toy! We feel really blessed to have found such a great deal on a brand new, only cosmetically damaged, hot tub!

Now on to better health and less sore muscles!! =)

Crafty Fun

A few weeks ago Cameron was learning about Chinese New Year in School. Here is the dragon he made using supplies we had around the house. Kaylie and Dallyn are still working on their dragons and then they will have a Chinese New Year Parade. He's so creative!

Dallyn wanted to make cards with me the other day so he made some Valentines and he was so proud of his stamping job! What a great stamper he is!

Kyler felt left out I think and he wanted his photo taken...so here is Kyler. =)

Stay Tuned...

Hmm...what do you suppose this is a picture of??? This big gray platform underneath our awning has some purpose there. Of course our awning is winterized so that the cover doesn't get ruined, but during the spring and summer there is a cover that goes on the black frame.

You'll have to stay tuned for the "after" photos when Scott's hard work is done.....