Good report

On Monday, I found out that my platelets are normal like a normal person-- no more (!) beside them. Also, I was switched from breathing treatments to an antibiotic for prevention of lung infection and taken off my most crazy expensive medication that prevents fungal infections. Both of those mean money in the bank--woo-hoo! My PA expects me to be off of meds in the fall, and my last bone marrow biopsy should be in April. Man, I'll miss those. :)

Go West, young Wehmeyers!

We have had a great week. It began with a date night to Bangkok Royale, possibly the tastiest place on earth, and pad Thai. On Saturday, we continued packing the plastic tubs that we had been working on the previous couple of weeks to prepare for our adventure. There was still a lot of work to be done! We made a spontaneous trip to Belton, dropped off our children at our beautiful friends’ house (spontaneously), and met a man to look at stained concrete for the new house who had his family waiting in the car. We did this because we like exhausting ourselves and others. Actually, we thought that we needed to make some decisions before the slab for the new house was poured. We really enjoyed eating dinner with our friends, and then we gathered the little Wehmeyers for Waco.

We strapped down the packed tubs in Van’s truck, and early, early Sunday we headed west. The kiddos were so excited, and they were troopers in a small space. We drove for eternity, had a picnic at a state park, drove by a meteor crater, and stopped at the long awaited Monahans Sandhills State Park. Upon arrival, my Zane literally fell tummy first from the truck into the sand and wallowed like a pig. It was hilarious. The kids were definitely in their element. Van provided a little round sled, and he and the boys zoomed down the dunes. Avi wore little sunglasses to keep the sand from blowing in her eyes and dug and dug. Cade wanted to be buried, and his siblings obliged. Little piggy wiggled around in the “comfy sand” and wore a grin the entire time. I didn’t think we were going to be able to get Zane back in the truck. For real. I made our second round of peanut butter sandwiches for the day, and we ate the gritty dinner while we loaded up. My eyes were especially irritated, but my heart was full.

We found windmills and oil pumps and javelina hogs and gorgeous mountain scenery. Zane began his strategy of how to catch a baby javelina to keep as a pet. We all had jobs to do. He was to jump on it, I was to hold the bag, Cade was to hold the head, etc. Cade had a billion questions that needed answers now!, and I had stories to tell about my family history in the area and everyone tolerated me. Even several hours into the trip, Van took the time to turn around to look at more road side hogs and fantasize with Zane about how to catch one. Zane decided that a baby javelina would need a diaper so it wouldn’t poop in the house.

We arrived at Fort Davis Motor Inn across from where Mom and Dad were staying. The kids went nuts being set free and were so excited and confused about staying at a motel. I let them bounce on the bed for awhile, unsure if it was a bad parenting moment. I scrubbed sand out of hair and ears and emptied shoes into the trashcan. Van brought in some of our boxes and took care of the kids so I could take care of me. A bath never felt so good. I still had sand in my teeth at that point. After a very short night, Mom and Dad showed us the way up to their new hideout. Their cabin shell had arrived just two days before (I’m still not sure how that thing went through the tight switchbacks-remarkable), and Van and Dad brought in things that could be used immediately and things that would be usable later like a refrigerator and hot water heater. Dad and Van worked and worked to move things, and Mom unloaded stuff and helped with kiddos. Oh, and Mom and I had a comedy of errors helping our men unload paneling and cabinets. The yard is filled with all sizes of rocks including a beautiful bald pointy boulder. The kids found a pick ax and shovel and plenty of dirt, and I appreciated the buena vistas. To the left was McDonald Observatory on Mount Locke, and to the right were the Cathedral Mountains.

We went out to a great little pizza shop, a big treat after eating out of our ice chest for awhile. We went to McDonald Observatory, but star party tickets were sold out. That was really okay because we were pooped at the end of the day and because I’m pretty sure we were rejected because of our A&M regalia. We zig-zagged back up the rocks in the four-wheel drive to the cabin where we retrieved flashlights and lit a candle and attempted to put our children to bed on a futon and a blow-up mattress. (Mom and Dad went to the hotel.) Avi was still up at 10:00, so we gave up on her and made our late night snack via Van’s backpacking stove. FINALLY we all settled down. After another short night, Avi ended up on my air mattress sawing logs while Van was in her “bed”. My little birds woke up bright and early—ready to go way before their parents were. The sunrise was beyond words. What a mighty God we serve. We skidded back down spotting mule deer along the way. The boys were impressed with the Fort Davis historic site army hospital’s surgery instruments, and the morning was lovely walking around the parade grounds. Van jogged from there- I’m not kidding—from there to Skyline Drive while I drove the kids to the state park to meet him. The distance wasn’t that long, but the altitude is high, and it is STEEP. I was impressed. That wasn’t enough, so we scooped out the rest of the PB&J and tackled a beautiful .8 mile hike together up and down Montezuma Quail Trail. Avi was reluctant at first, but caught on as her brothers plugged along. Cade got out of our sight range. We knew he still existed because people coming down the mountain told us he was up there. He is a little mountain goat. When we got everyone together again, Van and the kiddos bouldered, and I tried not to panic as my boys got near the edge. When the children got poked by cactus or fell, we just teased that we would take them back to the fort hospital with the 1800s medical tools, and they got over it quickly. From there we drove to the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center where we discovered not Chihuahuas, but instead which yuccas were which and that we had a very spent baby girl. “oh…she’ll be fine, she’ll fall asleep in the car….” Didn’t happen. Up, up the dusty mountain road we went. I “cooked” mac and cheese and some Tuna Helper, and Cade and I read to the bitties in hopes that the children would be more sleepy than their parents. The stars were amazing. Van went for a little hike, and THEY Did it! THEY Did fall asleep! We have the noisiest children on the planet. Three children snoring is impossible. Another short night was spent, and somehow my youngest woke up next to me again instead of my husband. I questioned her as to how she turned into Daddy during the night, but she offered no explanation.

Cold chocolate Pop Tarts, bottles of shelf-stable chocolate milk and instant oatmeal nourished my family for the morning. Turkeys and buck deer met us along the dusty road along with a ton of beautiful ocotillo cacti that I love. We stopped at Dad’s recommended Point of Rocks picnic area just a few minutes down the road for bouldering. Cade earned bragging rights after his daddy got stuck for a while, and he stood near the top and waited for his dear father. I made a request to visit the fort’s gift shop to catch a stuffed baby javalina, a deer and a bat-eared fox for our children. It was very generous of my husband to make the stop, and he busied the kids with 1800s baseball with another family while I shopped. It turned out that the other family was our dear friends from our Houston days with kiddos that were supposed to be babies but somehow were as big as our kids. A really neat “God thing” to run into such special people at a place that we didn’t originally plan to be. A really great surprise. We began the long drive towards Utopia, stopping at the Pecos River to bring out the potty chair and yet more nourishment—this time Chips Ahoy. I’m a great mom. We also made a stop in Del Rio to gas up. I went into the gas station and came back to a car with 3 children and no husband. He had started the gas pump and gone in as well. Kids were fine. Where’s daddy? Uh….he’ll be back soon. Sorry ‘bout that. (Ug. Scary.) Back on the road, we stopped at a check point and explained drug-sniffing dogs and illegal entry into the United States to our clueless children. What fun. Through Uvalde, the conversation jumped to why Texas has the death penalty, and Dora the Explorer on my computer was a welcomed relief. Thankfully, Dora did not prompt any more ethical issues.

Seeing the hills and wildflowers at the turn past Sabinal we all perked up knowing we were close to Grandmother and Papa’s house. They had arrived at midnight the night before and had already gone to the store an hour away to grocery shop. My sister and her kids were awaiting our arrival as well. We did very little since we’ve been here, and it has been great. Mom is a great cook—banana bread…..mmmmm, and we have pitched in here and there. The cousins have played and played, and we’ve had some much needed visiting. We had a bonfire in the yard (no burn ban right now) and made s’mores for…um….the kids.

Today is Friday, and our truck is mostly boxed up again. We plan to stop in Fredricksburg to pick up a couple of plants to fill in holes in our current flower bed to complete our Tour ‘o Texas. We’ll see if Van can resist the state parks along the way, or if we’ll just get home to unpack and crash. The foundation was poured on our new home this week, so we’re excited to see it.

The "eyes" have it

That is so corny, I know. When the virus hit, so did my eye problems. The left one has really given me grief, and because of GVHD? it was blistered and looked like a "potato chip" for a few days. Today, it looked better under the microscope, and with a medicine change, I think we're on a good path. I'm so thankful for good, patient doctors and for the healing hand of God. I have lost some vision, so my parents came into town to drive around the crew. I think I'm okay driving the kiddos now, but they'll stick around until I'm all the way comfortable. I have not been very productive. Eye troubles make me want to go crawl into a hole. My parents have helped me box up a few things for the storage unit to prepare to put our house on the market in a month or so. This is bittersweet. I really enjoy living in the home we are in where we have been since before Cade was born. So many happy times here, but as my friend pointed out, we will make new memories.

The new house on the lot is progressing very quickly. It began with a burly man with a toy poodle on his lap operating a bulldozer. That dog had the biggest grin on its face, and was hanging on for dear life.

Hoping for an uneventful week and time with sweet friends. Crawling out from the hole....

On the Up and Up

My platelets are now at 114! My PA said that I look "normal" on paper. I'm still struggling with a few minorish physical issues associated with GVHD, but these should level off with time.

We enjoyed a great family night with some good friends as the Harlem Globetrotters visited Waco. No, Cade, they will not play Baylor, but that wouldn't that be fun? We dolled up the kiddos in impromptu t-shirts, headbands and for sweet Avi, a red, white and blue hairbow and headed out the door. Avi sat in Daddy's lap and jammed to the music. That girl has some moves. It took awhile for Zane and Cade to realize that it was okay to laugh at people falling down, rebelling and (ahem) pulling down other people's shorts. When they saw us laughing, then they got in on the action and had a ball--get it?--a ball. The experience reminded me of how little my guys are. They're still wondering how some of the tricks are done, and Cade was oh, so relieved that the Globetrotters won the game. Van and I saw the Globetrotters in College Station while we were dating. Good times.

Yesterday morning, my boys including Van ran the Miracle Match 1 mile fun run. I am so proud of their willingness to be healthy and active. I'm also proud of all the work that goes into the toughest marathon in Texas that went on this morning and thankful for all the money and awareness raised for the Be the Match registry. I hope some folks decided to join the registry. I'm a recipient of an annonomous donor from this program, so we are especially grateful.

There is a massive pile of dirt in my back yard because I have a husband with a soft spot for dirt digging kids. It will eventually be put to use in another area of the yard, but for now there is a massive pile of dirt in my back yard because I have a husband with a soft spot for dirt digging kids.

We've all had "the virus" that's been going around. Snot, slight fever, cough...and crazy tired. I'm the last of the pack, so I skipped church this morning as to not infect my sweet senior friends. Normal activity can resume this evening without any risk, I think.

Little Helper

A little boy with 2 minutes to spare unlatched a child lock, found the wasp poison, sprayed it all into the bird house (which had a wasp nest) and covered the kitchen table. It didn't go well for the little boy, but we made it through without injury. He was "helping".

Otherwise, it has been a great couple of days! I just have to write this down so I won't get too sentimental when they are too old to spray poison on the kitchen table. :)

Good doc visit

Platelets are 85! We are thankful. I don't have to come back to the doctor for 3 weeks! I wonder what I'll do with all the spare time. :)

A good end to a long year

“Keep your eyes on the prince of peace, the one who doesn’t cling to his divine power; the one who refuses to turn stones into bread, jump from great heights, and rule with great power…; the one who touches the lame, the crippled, and the blind, the one who speaks words of forgiveness and encouragement….Keep your eyes on him who becomes poor with the poor, weak with the weak. He is the source of all peace.” I took this quote from Advent for Christmas, but it is originally from Henri Nouwen’s “Adam’s Story,” Weavings, March-April, 1988. (I’m on Day 11 of Advent for preparing my heart for the Savior’s birth.—ah, well.)

Van and I are between Leakey and Concan Texas just a few miles west of the thriving metropolis of Utopia celebrating our 12th anniversary while kids are with Mom and Dad. Van teases me that he married me for my hometown. I tell him that is fine as long as he keeps bringing me back. It has been a great end to his Christmas break. He worked Christmas Eve, but was able to join his mom’s side of the family at our house in the afternoon for a very enjoyable, low-key get-together. Our nephew Tye and I made a dent in the buttermilk pie that the kids and I made the day before. The big kids chased each other around like mad monkeys, and Addison, now two, was content to watch the maniacs with their new Christmas weapons and play with the bucket of balls and books. It was so good to spend time with everyone. The group gave me a cross necklace that I treasure. So beautiful.

Avi decided that because she turned three-years-old and was a big girl she should use a toilet, so she did. That was easy. I have no advice to give a new parent on toilet training. My three were so very different. Avi has also decided that big girls have stronger opinions and need more opportunity for independence. (read: meltdown on the kitchen floor) The other day, I had told her “no”, and she responded, “Well, Aunt Fisha (Tricia) will let me.” I had to laugh, but ooooh, girl. The initial sassy stubbornness has already starting to wane, though. I believe our “Most Reasonable Two-year-old-in-the-World” has turned into a joyful, confident three-year-old. She is singing even more, twirling and dancing and speaking to people that she has just met. It is really neat to watch. “I is a big girwl and a wittle girwl.”

Zane, oh, Zane. Man, that kid is a mess. We had gone on a lovely hike with my sister’s crew in which every child, save one, ended up falling in the creek to varying degrees. Zane was the first, and I do believe he aimed for it. He could care less about being cold and wet and continued zigging around the trail and finding all sorts of treasures in the forms of boulders, rocks and sticks. The kids played the game, “Who can find the biggest rock and throw it near to a cousin in an attempt to make it land in the water.” Great game. We really had a good time, and took the rag tag bunch to load up. Van stripped the wettest kid down to put him back in the car seat, but Zane found a way to entertain the parking lot. If it were appropriate, I would post a photo of him in his undies dancing atop Mom’s truck with the picturesque Lost Maple’s Park mountains in the background. He is a funny kid--so content and full of joy, but impossible!

I haven’t seen Cade this week. I’m pretty sure that he is still around, but the company of Carly-Daniel-Elise and Tye have engaged him quite well. Before my son disappeared, I had told him “no” to a request and explained my reasoning. He responded, “Well, I guess that makes sense, but not in my world.” It’s probably a good thing that the cousins stole him away. I’m looking forward to finding my son at some point tomorrow and enjoying his break with him. He’s compiled a list of things to do for fun, so we’re sure to have a good time. “Ice skating” is at the top, so unless we set up kiddie pools and let them freeze again this year, we might not complete the list because, um….we live in Waco. I’m hoping to break out the bread machine with him. When Zane was a baby, Cade and I used to use it while he was napping, and he still remembers. Warm bread is hard to forget, I suppose. Butter…mmmmm…….

Van worked his tail off the couple of weeks before Christmas, and now is getting a break. He spent yesterday near Canyon Lake (about 2.5 hours from Utopia) fishing for 6 hours straight. (I really think it is neat that he ties many of his own flies. Bzzzzz….) Today, we learned that Garner State Park where Van and I just hiked stocked trout this morning. We’ll keep that in mind next year! We might come back tomorrow so that he can fish with the kids, although he’s not feeling well.

We’ve had such a good week with family including a visit to my great Aunt Alice’s. Van and I confirmed several scenes from the movie 7 Days in Utopia (yep, finally saw it) and learned that Aunt Alice is also in the Methodist Church scene. That’s just fun. We had a good visit with Sid and Jacque. I like showing off my kids to the people that knew me when I was a kid and vise-versa. That is good stuff right there. Trish and I snuck away for a thrift store trip. You never know what you will find, and finding is so much more fun with a great sister. A Roomba is now charging at my parent’s house!!!! I hope it works!!!! We also had plenty of time for me to tease her about health foods, the age of the earth, conspiracy theories…anything that a little sister can think up to push a button—it was great. Mom spoiled us all with biscuits and gravy, and Dad has given lawn mower rides so much that now the kids play a game called,( you guessed it) “Lawnmower Ride”. We “goat” a lot of places. We “goat” the playground. We “goat” to the store to get milk. I never realized how much we “goat”. We “goat” to the bathroom most of all. Probably all 11 of us took turns taking Avi to the newly found bathroom. “I just kidding!” was her mantra if there was no product. I was able to do some little crafts with the kids, and I’m currently working on finding the cutest way to patch blue jean knees using Mom’s collections of various (and ‘sundry) crafting materials. With their love of bouldering and crawling on the ground like puppies, it looks like I might have a few to patch in the future! I also learned that Target carries slim jeans….it might come to that at this rate.

My health is doing very well. I’m hangin’ with the crew and have committed to actual exercise again. The platelets two weeks ago were good enough to have my central line removed. Woo-hoo! Praise God. Removal of it was good because the thing totally wigged me out. I felt part robot, even though I was thankful for it for IVs, transfusions and blood draws. After the removal, I was literally shaking because it messed with mind so much. By the grace of God, I pulled myself back together before driving back to Waco. I have an appointment on Monday for a good ol’ check-up, and Van is coming. I’m expecting to see a good platelet count, and I’m expecting that they will try to lower my steroid dose again. It has side effects like sleep problems, calcium depletion, muscle depletion….and they mess with my taste buds in an ugly, ugly way, and that just makes me ANGRY. We need to get it gone as soon as appropriate. My eye problems (another effect of GVHD) are much, much better and are responding to treatment. The kiddos will be with Van’s mom for the morning of the appointment, and maybe we can all do something fun in Dallas in the afternoon.

I may be one of the few people that like new year’s resolutions: abide in Jesus, exercise, slim down (self-control), and discipline of daily Bible study. Those are my goals for me. Hopefully, they will spill over into family and community in the process, or maybe someone will spill over onto me.