Relay for Life

Relay for Life Kickoff!

We have finally registered our Relay Team for 2008 - Team Super Grant.

Please visit our site and join our team! Relay is the weekend that Joel gets married, but we can make a good showing on Friday night for the team lap and survivor lap!

Click on the following link to go to our team page!

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=8654&team_id
=269793

Thanks!

Em

The best Easter Bunny ever!!

Mike agreed to be the Easter Bunny for the children at the Easter Egg Hunt this past Saturday. You would have really loved him doing the bunny hop with 70 little kids! They loved him.

Grant was feeling pretty good considering it was day 5 of his monthly steroids. He had a couple of "breakdown" moments, but all in all, it was a fine day. (Should I say he ate 5 hot dogs without even breathing?)

We hope all of our friends had a beautiful Easter. Our family is so grateful for all of the blessings of this past year. There are several friends who lost there loved one this past year, and Easter took on a whole new dimension for them. We think of them often, and pray that they know that our dear Savior died for us all, that we may be able to once again know and love those who have gone on before us.

Thank you all for checking on Grant. He continues to do well- he has adjusted well to his daily chemo at home, and the Nelson clan is just fine! Love to you all.

Hair!

I promised pictures, so here we go!

Grant has a head full of hair! I decided after his bath last night to document it for all to see! You will notice that his trademark "swoosh" on the back of his neck has even returned! (His mom has the same trademark swoosh!.... Makes having short haircuts very challenging!)

Third is a photo of Grant at the art show. He was not so thrilled about posing for a pic, but pacified his mom with a quick shot. Notice his monster truck.... He is very proud of it!

Last is a pic from our clinic visit in February. Grant was having a good time with the building blocks. This past Tuesday we didn't take any photos because there was no room to move, much less pose! Some Tuesdays are worse than others, and this past Tuesday was a doozy! Kevin and I spent most of the day in the hall sitting on the stools that the nurses use when they access the kid's ports. We sat until someone else needed to get stuck, then we turned over our stools until they were done..... Nurse Mary thought we were really funny! Grant enjoyed playing in the playroom with his Pal Jane. The college assigns pre-med student volunteers to each patient. Grant's Pal is Jane. She is a very sweet girl from Roanoke Rapids who keeps Grant completely occupied during most of our visits! We love Jane and thank her for her help! It is priceless.....

We visited with William and Colby and had a monthly spinal tap with Methotrexate. Grant requested muffins for the post-op room. He ate 2 huge muffins from the cafe at the hospital. The kids have to fast before spinal taps, so they are all very hungry when they wake up. Most of the time you can find anything from Cheeto's to macaroni and cheese being passed out in post-op. By post-op, I mean a pretty average sized room filled with rolling recliners that they use as mobile hospital beds as the kids are waking up from sedation. Its a confusing place.... lots of blood pressure cuffs and pulse-ox cables!

Grant has had a great week so far with his steroids. Today is day 3 and we haven't had any adverse side-effects so far! I can't tell you what a relief it is that he doesn't cry for the whole 5 days anymore! Life is livable!

Today is Easter Egg hunt day at school. Grant and Eden both have their hunts and cook-outs at the same time, but in separate locations (one at school and the other at the park a couple of miles away), so I will do my best to split myself in half and be present for both events! Jake is very excited at the thought of running around like a crazy kid and collecting candy - two of his most favorite past-times! We'll see how it goes!

After school I will do my Thursday piano and voice lessons, and then Easter Break will officially begin for us! The kids only have a half day of school tomorrow, so I don't even count that! I am looking forward to a quiet week and lots of time working in my yard. My plant beds suffered from some serious neglect last year as I spent the whole spring and summer in Chapel Hill, so I have some major pruning and weeding to do! I can't wait....

Happy Easter to all! I will post more pics soon! FYI the church Easter Egg Hunt will be on Saturday and they will be having a special guest bunny visiting..... I can't tell you who it is, but he is 6'4 and my baby brother! I can't wait to publish pictures of his stint as the world's most famous bunny! Should be hillarious!

Art Show

I have been meaning to download photos, but my life is just too crazy these days, so I will update minus pictures..... Please forgive me!

We were very excited to learn that Grant would have art work in the Carteret County Schools Student Art Exhibition during February! Grant had a drawing of a monster truck displayed. It looked remarkably like the one his Uncle James used to have when we were in high school! So, we had a great time one Friday evening visiting the show and taking pictures of Grant with his art! Although having Jacob at an art gallery was a little more than nerve racking, we managed to survive and then even had a nice family dinner at Pizza Hut.

Grant seems to be nearly back to his old self these days. Dr. Blatt had told us that over time he would acclimate to his daily chemo and he has. Even his normal Thursday nausea after his Methotrexate on Wednesday nights has subsided. He is doing great at school and even visited the dentist in Greenville last week. Thankfully he only had one cavity, his first one ever. I cannot say the same thing for his sister, who has terribly soft and chalky teeth and usually has 7 or 8 cavities at each visit. She outdid herself this time with 6 new cavities and nerve damage under 2 of her previous capped teeth! I may just have a nervous breakdown!

Aside from our visits to the dentist, we have had a pretty normal life recently. Ball has begun again. Kevin is coaching Grant's t-ball team this year since Uncle Shawn has moved up to baseball with Noah. Our team this year includes Zac, Riley, Grant, our neighbor Matthew, our friend Seth and lots of kids of our friends from high school. We are excited about this season, and are looking forward to Grant being able to play again. Last year he only made it to 1 or 2 games. He was diagnosed between Opening Ceremonies and the season actually starting, so we made it to as many games as possible when chemo and counts would allow.

Eden is still playing 8 & Under fast pitch softball. It is her 3rd year with basically the same team, so we are looking forward to a league championship year! Edie is a good little ball player, and seems like an old pro already. We have to figure out how to do dance and ball at the same time, always a challenge, but that's ok! She loves them both, so we will just do what we have to do....... Yet another reason for a nervous breakdown.

Pa and Joel and Mike returned from their week long Spring Training Extravaganza yesterday. They spent the week in Florida watching the Red Sox training camp and seeing a bunch of other games. We have a good Pa! Maybe soon he'll take his girls for a Broadway week!;)

Charlie is spending the afternoon with me while Joella shops with our girls for matching Easter dresses. I got the better end of this deal, believe me! I think we'll go for a walk down to the water and enjoy this beautiful day.......

A Mighty Handsome Little Man

I wanted everyone to see how studly Grant is looking these days. I told him a few days ago that I thought he needed a haircut. He said that his mama told him he never had to have another haircut if he didn't want one. I told him that was fair enough.

Funny Eden!

So, last week Eden and I were on the way home from dance class, and she wanted to stop at Subway for dinner. Well, it was Tuesday - 2 for Tuesday - to be exact, and the line was too long!! So, I bargained with Eden that I had to go to the grocery store and told her that she could get whatever she wanted for supper!

This is when the fun starts!

The conversation goes like this....

So Eden, what is your favorite thing to eat?

Clams....

Well honey, they don't have clams at the grocery store. What else?

Oysters.....

Well, the only oysters at the grocery store are in a can, and that's not really what you're thinking about! What else?

Shrimp!

OK, Eden. The shrimp at the grocery store are not that great and Mr. Eddie's shop has already closed so we can't get any fresh shrimp tonight. What do you want that I can actually buy at the grocery store!

I don't know..... Fried flounder!?

AAAGGGGHHHHH

Welcome to my life!