December 2011

December has been a busy month! Alyssa had her Jr. High Christmas Band and Choral Concert. It was great!!

We started off the Christmas Break by the girls and I baking cookies and a birthday cake for Jesus. We had the Rieke Christmas here at our house on Christmas Eve. Everyone visited, ate, and had a great time opening gifts. Christmas Day morning, we went to church(it was our month to teach Children's Church), came home and prepared our side dish for the Watson Christmas dinner. We all gathered at Grandma Watson's house for more visiting, eating, and gifts! Another great night. :)

The day after Christmas, I decided to take the girls shopping to let them spend their gift cards they got for Christmas. Grandma Rieke came along with us. We had a fabulous time! They had gift cards for Justice, Kohl's, Old Navy, and Wal-Mart. I love when they get gift cards. It teaches them to only spend what they have and to not over spend. I must say they really did well!

The rest of Christmas Break we tried to relax as much as possible. Christmas Eve we were invited over to Tim and Lori's house. All the kids played while the adults visited and fun was had by all!!

November 2011

We started off November with a bonfire and hayride. We had a lot of fun! Thanks to our neighbors for letting us use their hay wagon. :)

Trystan invited Uncle Buddy to participate in the Veteran's Day celebration in her classroom on November 10th. I went in to help serve punch and got to see what the kids did for the veterans and the presentations the veterans gave the class. It was all very moving!

Thanksgiving was great! We are so very thankful for healthy kids. :) We spent Thanksgiving Day with the Watson side family and had a great time. Black Friday, I went with Grandma Rieke and Aunt Carrie Christmas shopping while the girls spent the day with daddy. The girls had a good time with daddy and I got a little shopping done. Saturday after Thanksgiving we had the Rieke Thanksgiving at the Troy Library. After eating our dinner, we had a surprise 80th birthday party for Great-Grandma Huck. She was surprised and many family and friends came to help her celebrate her big day!

October 2011

Trystan is continuing to do well in school. She gets a little discouraged when she isn't able to do what all of the other kids do. But, she is continuing to do more and more things she's been unable to do for so long. We are so proud of her!
On October 10th she had her appointments with both the oncologist and her bone doctor. It was a very long day! We started off in radiology for her chest x-ray and then headed up to oncology. The doctor was happy with Trystan and her x-ray was clear! He told us she is to come back in February for her two year check up. But this time she will be seeing the late effects team. It was then off for a lunch accross the street at Applebee's. After lunch we headed to the bone doctor appointment. She had to get her leg x-rayed before her appointment. Trystan always does extremely well with these x-rays. We then headed back to the doctor's office. We waited there for a LONG time!!! When she finally got to see the doctor, he said her bone is continuing to grow. However, the bottom screw in her leg is cracked at the head of the screw. He isn't concerned at this time but will continue to watch it. He also said that if ANYTHING starts to hurt she is to stop doing it immediately!
Halloween went great! We started by taking the girls to Grandma Watson's and then headed to Grandpa and Grandma Rieke's. We parked at Gpa & Gma Rieke's and met up with the Adolph's and company. The girls had so much fun with the group going from house to house. I got to thinking about last Halloween and how Trystan was still in her wheelchair going from house to house. This year she was walking from house to house on her on power! God is AWESOME and continues to bless us!

September 2011

School started a couple of weeks ago. So glad the girls are back on schedule. On September 2nd Trystan had a food challenge on her allergy to peanut butter. When they finally got the test started, she lasted through about the fourth dose. She then began to react. Started by a itchy runny nose and a little sneezing. The sneezing then was continuous and her eyes began to swell. They gave her Zyertek, Benedryl, and hydrocortozone. She kept crying and asking to just go home. But we were unable to leave until all the effects subsided. Upon leaving, they gave us paperwork to call on a later date for a two month follow up.
Once we got home we began packing to go camping for Labor Day weekend. We all needed that after the long day we had. The weekend was great and we had a fabulous time!

July 31 - August 6, 2011

Sunday-Went to church this morning. We then came home

Wednesday-Today the girls each received two free passes to the Magic House in St. Louis for winning the Leaps of Love frog contest for the month of July! They were so excited and cannot wait to use them. :)

Thursday-Quickly ran to Edwardsville this afternoon with the girls and Grandma Rieke to pick up birthday gifts for Kortnie and Derrick.

Friday-This evening was Derrick and Kortnie's birthday party at their house. We all had such a good time visiting.

Saturday-This evening Alyssa performed in the Bond County Talent Show with Chloe and Hannah which Lucy had choreographed. They did an AWESOME job! We were so proud of Alyssa. Unfortunately they didn't place and the girls were a little disappointed. :( After the Talent Show Tracy, Trystan, Grandma Rieke, and myself ate supper at the fair while Alyssa went out for ice cream with Lucy and Chloe at Dairy Queen.

July 24-30, 2011

Sunday-Went to church this morning and came home for lunch. We stayed inside for the bulk of the day because we finally got some rain today! PTL!!! So glad to see some precipitation. :) This evening we decided to take the girls to the theater in town to see Zookeeper. It was a pretty good movie. The girls cracked up through a lot of it.

Monday-Today I took the girls to the Madison County Fair. It was so hot out, we didn't stay long. We went and saw the rabbits, chickens, cows, hogs, and sheep. It was a lot of fun! Just before we left we stopped at the Tropical Snow stand and got some snow cones. Those were great and helped to cool us off for a short while. When we got home we did swim for a little bit.

Tuesday-Ran to Vandalia today to go to the pool store to have the water tested and to Wal-Mart for school supplies. Alyssa had to get a lot of stuff for Jr. High! I couldn't believe all the things they had to have.

July 17-23, 2011

Sunday-This morning we went to church and came straight home. We quickly changed clothes and the girls and I left for a birthday party for a friend's little girl. It was sooo hot outside! We didn't stay too long, just long enough to eat lunch with them and see her open her gifts. This evening was Isaac's birthday party. His was in Highland at the public pool. It was lots of fun but also very hot, even to swim! I cannot believe how hot they say it's going to be this week! Stay cool and safe in this heat this upcoming week everyone.

Monday-Took Trystan to see Dr. Wilson today so he can take a look at her toe. He said that it didn't look like anything to worry about, but to watch it. If anything is to change we are to bring her in and he'll have a dermatologist to look at it. This evening Trystan started her dance camp. She was so excited and nervous about it at the same time. All that changed to pure excitement when we pulled up and she saw her friend Molly was taking the same dance camp as her. After camp she couldn't stop talking about how great it was! While I had Trystan at dance camp, Alyssa and Tracy went to eat with the rest of the family for his mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Grandma Watson!!!


Tuesday-Alyssa had some Border's gift cards to use before the stores closed. So we ran to Edwardsville in the morning. Then took the girls to see the eye doctor this afternoon. He said their eyes were exactly the same! He couldn't believe it either. :) They will both eventually be needing glasses, but their eyes aren't bad enough right now for them. He did also say they need to be coming every year now for eye exams. Trystan had her second night of dance camp this evening. She is still loving it! Miss Heather asked Alyssa if she would like to help with the class for the rest of the week. Alyssa was totally excited about that!


Wednesday-Spent the day at home today until it was time to take Trystan to dance camp. Trystan still had fun and Alyssa loved being the helper for Miss Heather!


Thursday-Today we had to run to Edwardsville because I had a doctor's appointment. The girls were so patient while they waited with my mom for me to finish. So, I took them for Coldstone ice cream and everyone was happy! This evening was Trystan's fourth day of dance camp. Not sure she's ready for it to end.


Friday-Last day of dance camp was this evening and we got to sit in and watch. Trystan did a fabulous job and Alyssa did a great job helping out!


Saturday-Had another day with a lot of running. I had a Dollar General coupon along with others to use so we met my mom at Highland DG and while we were there we ran into Tracy's mom. So once we were finished there we walked on down to Subway and all five of us ate together. We had a very nice time together. After lunch Grandma Watson went ahead on home while the rest of us went to Wal-Mart. My mom only had a few things to get so once she had those she went ahead and left. The girls and I finished our grocery shopping and came home. I unloaded and put everything away and then headed into Greenville to pick up a few other things. Once I got back we went swimming for a bit. The girls stayed out and swam while I came in and fixed dinner. It was a GREAT day!

July 10-16, 2011

Sunday-We woke up this morning and had breakfast at the hotel before leaving St. Louis. The girls went to Sunday School and Church with Grandma. We then met them at Teri and Brad's house for Trent's 14th birthday. We ate lunch, had cake and ice cream, and Trent opened his gifts. We all had a good time until Trystan started to have an allergy attack. I gave her a benadryl before leaving Teri's. By the time we were almost home, I had to give her another benadryl. She kept saying her head, eyes, nose, mouth, and throat hurt. She ended up falling asleep for a while after laying with ice on her head. While she slept, Tracy stayed with the girls and I went to pick up some things at CVS. I came home we ate supper and then headed out to the pool.

Monday-Alyssa started practicing with a couple of other girls for the Talent Show Competition at the Bond County Fair. Later in the afternoon, I took her to her first day of ballet camp. She loved it. She was very tired tonight, but decided to take a dip in the pool this evening. It was just too hot outside to do anything today, even swim!


Tuesday-Today was a busy day of running! Started off by going to Highland for a couple of errands and then back to Greenville for Alyssa's school physical at the doctor's office. While we were there, I had the doctor look at a spot on Trystan's right foot. She wasn't sure exactly what it was but thought that it looked like an irregular mole. She told us that we should take her to see her oncologist and have him take a look at it. So Tracy called there today and we are to see Dr. Wilson Monday morning at 10 a.m. Not news we were hoping for. :( After the doctor's office I took the girls for some lunch and then headed to our next appointment at the Bond County Health Department for Alyssa's immunization shots. Ran home for about an hour and then back into town for Alyssa to practice for the Fair from 2-4. While she was at practice, Trystan and I went to Vandalia to the Camper Store(they wrote us a check and forgot to sign it), the pool store(to check the pool chemical levels), back to Greenville to pick up Alyssa from practice and take her to dance camp from 4-5:15, and home for supper. Whew! I would love to say our day was over, but that wouldn't be true. :0) After dinner, the girls decided to go for a bike ride. This was Trystan's first official ride on her new bike she got from Leaps of Love(LOL) and she loved it! Thank you so much LOL for making Trystan feel that much more normal again!!! Both girls were exhausted tonight, but had a great day!

Wednesday-Friday - Alyssa really enjoyed dance camp this week! She really didn't want it to end.

Saturday-Spent this very warm Saturday at home and in the pool. Today was a day that I was really happy we have a pool! This upcoming week is going to be a scorcher!!!!

July 3-9, 2011

Sunday-HAPPY 11th BIRTHDAY ALYSSA!!! Started off the morning by going to breakfast at Huddle House for Alyssa's birthday breakfast and then off to church. Came home and swam for a bit. Swimming had to be cut a little short because of a storm coming in. Grilled up some hot dogs and ate what we are calling lupper, lunch-supper together. Alyssa got a kick out of that! This evening we had both the Rieke and Watson sides over for Alyssa's birthday. All went well. She decided on having brownie sundaes instead of cake and ice cream. It went over GREAT! Everybody loved them. :)


Monday-HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!! Kirby came over this morning to help Tracy put in a new window unit upstairs. They got the entire thing put together and in the window only to find out the plug was a 220! Tracy then had to take it back to the store and get another one. Kirby had plans so he had to leave. When Tracy returned home with a new window unit, he and I put it together. Which took the rest of the afternoon. The girls swam for a short while, we ate dinner, and then left for Patriot's Park for the fireworks. The fireworks show was fabulous!


Tuesday-Today we spent the day at home. It was nice not to have to be anywhere! This afternoon the girls swam in the pool for a bit.


Wednesday-Trystan had her three month appointment with Dr. McDonald today. Before we went to see him, she had an EKG to check the chest pains she's been having. We arrived at the Heart Station a little before 8:00 a.m. Trystan's appointment was scheduled for 8:00, but there wasn't anyone there yet. The receptionist didn't show up until almost ten after! I guess everyone was running late for work becuase there wasn't anyone in yet to do the EKG at that time either! We didn't get called back until 8:30 a.m. We didn't get finished until 8:50 and still had to walk all the way over to the Center for Advanced Medicine for her appointment with Dr. McDonald at 9:00. Ugh! One person being late has now put us behind for the rest of the appointments. When we arrived at the CAM building we had to go over for x-rays on Trystan's leg before seeing the doctor. That thankfully went pretty quick and we finally arrived in Dr. McDonald's office at around 9:20 a.m. for our 9:00 appointment. When we got in to see the doctor, he was very happy with Trystan's x-rays. The first thing he talked about was the fracture from last summer. It has completely heald! Trystan's bone is also continuing to grow and thicken. He also said that she should be able to begin p.e. at school again. Praise the Lord for this wonderful news! One last thing we had to get done before leaving was go up to the nineth floor to sign some papers for Trystan to be in a study. Got home from Highland and took a dip in the pool for a bit.


Thursday-Today we had to get some last minute things for Alyssa's friend party that we are having tomorrow afternoon. We ran to Highland Wal-Mart first and then to Patty Cakes to pick up cupcakes. Came home and swam for a little bit.


Friday-Woke up this morning and made Trystan, Alyssa, & her friend muffins for breakfast. The three of them then played the entire day together. Trystan and I went out and swam for a while and Alyssa and her friend stayed inside together for a bit. They joined us later outside. We then came back in and waited for the others to arrive so her party could begin. All of the girls were here right on time. They ate Patty Cake Cupcakes and Alyssa opened her gifts. Then the party moved outside to the pool. The girls swam and played in the pool for a little over two hours. While they were in the pool, Tracy and Trystan ran to Highland to pick up pizzas from Little Ceasers. When they got back from picking up the pizzas, Trystan ate quickly then was picked up by Tim, Lori, and Cade and they took her to the movies in town. I then called the girls in for pizza. They ate and then ended the party playing Just Dance 2 on the Wii until they were picked up by their parents. All in all, I think everyone had a great time. Trystan came home after the movies having a good time there too!

Saturday-Today we left after lunch and took the girls to Grandma Watson's house to have a sleepover. Tracy, Tim, Lori, and I then headed to St. Louis for the Cardinal Baseball Game. Before going to the game we checked into our hotel and then caught a cab to go to the game. We got our tickets at the Make-A-Wish dance in Collinsville a few months back. The tickets were in the Champions Club. The tickets included food, drink, and your seats. We had a great time at the game and the girls had a great time at Grandma's!!

June 26-July 2, 2011

Sunday-Went to church this morning. Once we got home the phone rang, it was the Cole's Creek Campgrounds, letting us know that our reservations for this upcoming weekend have had to be cancelled due to all of the flooding from the rains. We are all really bummed about not being able to go camping. Guess we'll have to come up with some other activities for this weekend.

Monday-We are all so tired of all the rain and the storms! Praying and feeling so sorry for all of the farmers.

Tuesday-Took a trip to the zoo today. Alyssa, Trystan, Kortnie, and myself had a wonderful time at the St. Louis Zoo! No matter how many times we go, we none ever get sick of the zoo!

Wednesday-Nothing too much to report today. The girls and I did swim this afternoon in the pool. :)

Thursday-Today I took Alyssa to get her ears double pierced for her birthday. That was one thing she's asked for. She did so well. When we arrived at the mall, she could hardly contain how nervous and scared she was. The lady had her sit in the chair and she held my hand, once the first one was done, she looked at me and said, "That's it?! That wasn't so bad." She's getting so grown up. For getting her ears pierced, I got a 20% off coupon so she picked out a pair of earings and a couple of headbands to finish off her birthday gifts from mom and dad. Then this evening, Tracy and I took the girls to the movies to see Mr. Popper's Penguins. Very cute movie and the girls loved it too!

Friday-Today I took the girls and Grandma Rieke to the Peanut Butter & Jam Festival on the Highland Square. The food was good and we had a good time. Walked over to Patty Cakes to try her cupcakes. They were delicious! Right before we were going to leave out walked Miss Patty herself. The girls were so excited! You see, she's quite the celebrity in our house from the girls watching her win twice on the Ultimate Cake Off. The girls got thier picture taken with another "famous" person. This afternoon, the four of us swam in the pool today together. The girls had a blast! They love it when we are all in the pool together. This evening we took the girls to Bretz Wildlife for dinner and put put golf. Again the girls had a great time!

Saturday-I took Trystan to shop for Alyssa's birthday and to pick up a few other things for her party tomorrow evening. Trystan loves her sissy so much, it took her almost 45 minutes to pick out just the right birthday card! I then took her to Wal-Mart to pick out her birthday gifts. Trystan was so excited about what she had gotten for her big sister!

June 19-25, 2011

Sunday-HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!! Began the day by getting up a little late for church, stopped by McDonald's for breakfast only to get up in the drive thru to order and they were only accepting cash because their machine was down. We ran to the gas station to get cash from the ATM and back to pick up something to eat. Arrived a little late for church, but before the message. Tracy had a nice relaxing afternoon watching the ballgame and napping. I ran to pick up a few things from CVS while he relaxed at home with the girls. Tomorrow is Trystan's four month checkup with the oncologist. Nerves are beginning this evening. The worry of cancer returning is always on our mind with every ache, pain, and appointment. God will carry us through no matter what.


Monday-We took Trystan to have a chest x-ray and her appointment with Dr. Wilson. We arrived at Children's Radiology at about 8:20 a.m. and were called back for the x-ray at about 9:00 a.m. We were in and out of there pretty quick. We all then headed up to the nineth floor for her doctor's appointment. They seem to think that she's doing really well and her chest x-rays looked good. NED! NED! NED! Back in four months. :) The only thing we have to take her back before then for an EKG when we take her to see Dr. McDonald. We were really wanting them to check her heart because she sometimes has chest pains when she go for walks. We were very happy with the results for today! Thank you God for continued answered prayers.


Tuesday-VBS started yesterday, but since we were at her appointments we were unable to make it. We were sure to go today and are planning on going the rest of the week. :) Late this afternoon there was a pretty severe thunderstorm that knocked out the power. It went out about 4:30 p.m. just as we were talking about what I was going to make for dinner. It was still out when we ended up leaving to go into town for supper. We came home to find that the electricity was still out and didn't come back on til about 7:30 p.m. Relaxed the rest of the evening.


Wednesday-After VBS the girls and I went to eat with Grandma Watson, Tyler, and Toby to eat at Madge's. When we finished lunch the girls and I headed to Edwardsville. Trystan wanted to go to Old Navy to use her gift cards she got for her birthday and Alyssa had one as well she wanted to use. They each picked out some clothes. Then it was off to Border's. The girls didn't find anything so it was then off to Wal-Mart. Trystan wanted to find a particular toy and ds game. We also had to purchase a birthday gift for Cade's birthday party this weekend. Once we finished there it was off to pick up a gift card for my dad at Home Depot. We weren't finished yet! I still had to do grocery shopping. We decided to try to shop at Shop n Save. Some things were cheaper than Wal-Mart but others were about the same. It was deffinately cheaper than IGA! We then came straight home to unload the car. Spent the rest of the evening at home. :) We were all exhausted!


Thursday-VBS again this morning. The girls are really enjoying it! I believe they are going to be a little upset tomorrow when it ends. After VBS today Trystan asked if I would take her to the cemetary so she could place her wood cross craft she made today on Grandpa Watson's grave. Impossible to say no to that! We stopped there and then came home. It was too cool out today to swim. Trystan was unhappy about that but Alyssa didn't seem to mind much. Maybe tomorrow!


Friday-Last day of VBS today. They had a carnival for the kids today! The girls had a blast as well as all of the other kids that attended!

Saturday-Starting to use coupons a little more all of the time. Today I had a GREAT deal! Went to CVS and picked up four American Greenting Cards after ExtraCare Bucks and 25% off coupon I paid just paid $0.74! That's right 74 cents!!!

June 12-18, 2011

Sunday-We slept in this morning and missed church. But it was a much needed sleep for all of us. I used the day to do the laundry, clean the house, and . Much needed!


Monday-Today we hung out at the house and Mia came over to play today! It wasn't quite warm enough to go swimming though. But we were still able to have a great day. :) This evening I went out to start putting things in the camper only to see that the refrigerator wasn't on. I opened the door to the refrigerator only to smell the spoiled food, YUCK!!! Now the list has grown for the grocery store tomorrow. I came in and told Tracy that the frige wasn't on and he went into the garage and found that somehow the plug-in had fallen out of the wall. He came to the conclustion that one of the dogs had gotten in there while he was mowing yesterday and must have knocked it out.


Tuesday-It was an extremely busy day for all of us! Tracy ran to Vandalia for an oil change in his car and to the pool store with a water sample. While the girls and I ran to Highland to Wal-Mart for items for the next camping trip. We are going on a trip with the Rieke side to Santa Clause, IN leaving wednesday and coming home Saturday.


Wednesday-Left this morning for Holiday World with the Rieke side. We met up with Kirby in Nashville,Illinois and followed each other to Lake Rudolph. We set up the camper when we got there only to have to take everything outside down and put it away because of a storm. The storm wasn't too bad and thankfully didn't last very long. Tomorrow we all go to Holiday World!


Thursday-Today we all went to Holiday World and had a great time. Our family and Carrie's family are the only ones who have been to Holiday World. So it was great to see everyone's faces when we walked into the park. We did some amusement park rides in the morning, went back to the camper for lunch, and returned to the water park for the afternoon.


Friday-This morning we went straight over to the water park. We rode a few of the water rides then went back to the camper for lunch and returned to the water park. We had just finised in the water park and were heading to ride rides in the amusement there was a storm that entered the area and the rides were temporarily closed. Once the storm moved out of the area, the rides were back open. We rode the rides in the rain. The girls LOVED it!!!


Saturday-All through the night there were storms that came through. We none got much sleep because it was so loud and Tracy & I were watching the radar to be sure there was nothing too severe coming. The weather broke long enough for us to pack up the camper and hook it up to the truck to head home. The wind and rain made it a little difficult driving home. We left the campgrounds about 10:30 a.m. stopped for lunch, again for gas, and last for stretch. We arrived home about 2:45 p.m. unpacked the camper, sorted, and started the laundry. Father's day tomorrow!

June 5-11, 2011

Sunday-Today's the day!!! We left for Santa Clause, Indiana to camp at Lake Rudolph. We are all excited that the day has finally come! We arrived and were set up about dinner time. All of us decided to go to the local mom and pop pizza place. That evening we just hung out and got settled in.


Monday-I got up early this morning and took a walk around the campgrounds. It was pretty warm out already at 6:30 a.m. Today we hung out at the campgrounds. This afternoon we went swimming in the campground's swimming pool. The water was extrememly cold! Every year we rent a golf cart so that we can easily get around the campgrounds.


Tuesday-Made our way to Holiday World today! Man was it hot outside!! But that didn't stop us. :) Trystan rode her first roller coaster and loved it! In the morning we did the rides in the amusement park and came back to the camper for lunch and to cool off before returning to the water park. We were able to get all of the big rides in at the water park and then roller coasters and other rides after the water park closed. After we finished there we came back to the campgrounds for supper and relaxation. We are so impressed with Trystan! She didn't even need her wheelchair at all. No complaints either. :)


Wednesday-It was back to the park today! But, instead of doing any of the amusement park rides, we went and did the waterpark first and stayed for lunch in the park. When we finished in the waterpark we rode more rides in the amusement park and then came back to the camper for dinner. It was even hotter today and we didn't make it quite as long at the park, but the girls seemed ok with that. Trystan really didn't complain much about the walking but was really tired and just couldn't do as much. Still we are so super proud of what she has been able to accomplish.


Thursday-It was a day of relaxation at the campgrounds again today. We hung out at the swimming pool for the day. The girls seemed pretty ok with that!!!


Friday-This morning we packed up to leave Lake Rudolph. :( But, we all decided to stop at New Harmony State Park to stay the night and camp. The swimming pool at the state park was great! They had a waterslide and diving boards. The girls were in heaven!!! In the middle of the night, Tracy and I had to get up and put away a bunch of the outside stuff because there was a bad storm on its way.


Saturday-Early this morning a storm hit so we had to hold up on packing up and the girls couldn't play outside either. They did good considering, playing ds games, card games, and listening to thier ipods. We were finally on our way home about noon and didn't arrive home until 4:30 p.m. Our day wasn't over yet we had to unpack the camper, run into town and pick up Steven Tyler (the kitten), pick up a pizza, and finally time to relax for the evening.

May 29 - June 4, 2011

Sunday-This morning the four of us went to church. The Highland VFW posted the colors at church. My brother and dad were in the group of veterans that posted the colors. Mom came along to watch and support them. While we were watching the posting of the colors, Lori and Cade stayed in the nursery for us. Thanks Lori and Cade!! After the posting of the colors, the girls and I went into the nursery at church since it was our week. Came home for lunch after church and spent the afternoon at home. This afternoon Tracy cut the grass here at the house.


Monday-Happy Memorial Day! Our prayer today is that we as American's take a moment to remember those that have passed away fighting for our freedom that we still have today.


Tuesday-The girls and I took a pool water sample to the pool store. We came home and I added the necessary chemicals.


Wednesday-Happy 8th Birthday Trystan!!! Started the morning by going to the school to pick up the girls' report cards. After picking up their report cards we went to the St. Louis Zoo. Grandma Rieke came along with us. I couldn't believe how busy the zoo was on such a hot day! We had a good time anyway. :)


Thursday-Had Trystan's birthday party this evening with the Watson side. It's always nice when we all can get together.

Friday-We went grocery shopping in preparation for our annual trip to Santa Clause, Indiana.


Saturday-The girls swam today while I packed the camper. They had a great time in the pool together. They cannot wait for our annual trip to Santa Clause, IN!!

May 22-28, 2011

Sunday-We were tired but still went to church today. This afternoon we went to my sister Carrie's house for a lunch and to celebrate Derrick's Confirmation which he will do tomorrow night. This week is the last week of school. Five more days!

Monday-This evening Alyssa had her Spring Band Concert. She played so good! We are so proud of her. We had to miss Derrick's Confirmation because it was the same time as Alyssa's concert. :)

Tuesday-Nothing much to report.

Wednesday-It's hard to believe that in one week we will have an eight year old. We continue to thank God everyday for her health and healing.

Thursday-After today, one more day of school! Tonight was Alyssa's last dance class. Happy and sad that it's over. Hoping to have a little less running around to do. We'll see how that turns out. :)

Friday-It's the last day of school! I cannot believe the year has already come to an end. As of today, I have a third grader and a jr. higher! Our babies are growing up so quickly! This evening Alyssa, Trystan, and I met with four of Trystan's friends at McDonald's for Trystan's 8th birthday. We started by eating supper at McDonald's, opening gifts, cupcakes from The Cup, and then we headed Highland to the Rec Center to swim. The girls all got along great and stayed together really well. Once the Rec Center closed, I dropped all the girls off and we came home. I'm pretty sure that all the girls had a GREAT time!!!

Saturday-Today the girls and I went into Greenville and did some much needed grocery shopping. I think I'm slowly getting the hang of some of this coupon thing! Can't wait til I do!! Almost everything I bought was either bought with coupons or on sale. :) You really do have to use extreme patience when shopping with coupons. It does take much longer than just throwing whatever you need in the cart. This evening we enjoyed an evening in.

May 15-21, 2011

Sunday-Went to church with my brother Russ's family today to see Tyler make his First Communion. After church we went to Becky's mom and dad's for lunch and to watch Tyler open his gifts. We came home after and the girls played all day together. We stayed home this evening. :)

Monday-The countdown is on to the end of the school year. After today, 9 days!

Tuesday-Went with Alyssa's class on a fieldtrip to the Arch and the Spaghetti Factory. The Spaghetti Factory is another place I have never been and I was super excited to go! I had a very large group; Alyssa and her friend and three boys. I was so impressed at the attitude of all the kids on this field trip. Stayed together, listened, and used manors! Way to go fifth graders!!

Wednesday-We've started thinking about the things that are coming up this summer. Camping trips, birthday parties, swimming, etc. In just a couple of days we'll be heading to Sikeston, MO to visit with Sonny, eat Taco John's, and Trystan will participate in their survivor's lap at the Relay for Life. We are invited down there by the Taco John's Relay for Life Team. The girls can't wait! They love trips to Sikeston because of Sonny, Taco John's, and staying and swimming at the hotel.

Thursday-Tomorrow we are taking the girls out of school about an hour early and heading to Sikeston! Hoping for great weather!!! After today there's only six days of school left then we'll have a third grader and a sixth grader. Where has the time gone?!

Friday-The girls were so excited this morning, this evening they'll be seeing Sonny! I dropped them off at school this morning and they couldn't wait for 2 p.m. to get here because that was the time we were going to pick them up and head to Sikeston. I got to the school a little before to pick up the girls but we had to head back home to pick up Tracy and then we were off! We got to Sikeston right at 5:30 p.m. Sonny and the Taco John's Relay for Life Team were waiting for us. Trystan was their team "mascot"! She and Sonny did the survivor lap. We also joined in on the Caregiver's Lap and Team Lap. We had a great time! We headed back to the store for supper. I think the girls thought that up to that point the best part of the day. :) We did go back up to the Relay for Life Ceremonies for a little while before heading back to the hotel. Once at the hotel the girls went swimming and had a blast!

Saturday-We decided to skip breakfast so we could eat an early lunch at Taco John's and head home right away. We wanted to stay the entire weekend but we had to head back to Greenville for Alyssa's Recital. Arrived home about 3:00 p.m. and started the preparations to get Alyssa ready for her recital. Showered, hair, and make-up done, outfits together and loaded. :) It was also said that the end of the world was to be today. We sat in the car and waited at 6:00 to see if it was really going to happen(we really knew that it wasn't because God says no man knows the day or hour). Alyssa danced beautifully! We are so proud of her!!!

May 8-14, 2011

Sunday-HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!
I had a great day with my family. This morning we woke up and the girls gave me my gift. It was a new cover for my purse. We then went out for breakfast and off to church. The church gave the mother's flowers. :) After church we went to eat at the Main Street Galaxy with Tracy's family. It was really nice! Spent the afternoon at home and then for dinner we went to eat with my mom and dad at Powhatton. It really was a great day!!!

Monday-Trystan had her field trip today to the Magic House in St. Louis. I had never been before so I think I was just as excited as the kids were. :) We had a great time! Trystan was able to do EVERYTHING that she tried and wanted to do. That made my heart soar. It has been so long since she was able to do the same thing as the other children. Hoping the normal/boring things keep coming her way. We had a fabulous trip.

Tuesday & Wednesday-Nothing to report.

Thursday-This evening after Alyssa finished dance we went to the Art Show. The girls sang Adeweis with their late Grandpa Watson playing the music. They did a fabulous job! Alyssa wasn't nervous, of course, and Trystan said she was scared to death! Alyssa also played Somewhere Over the Rainbow solo on her flute and did beautifully! We are so proud of them and know that Grandpa Watson would be too. :)

Friday-After today the girls only have 10 days of school left!

Saturday-Took Trystan to her friends birthday party today. She had a blast! I'm so happy that she's able to participate in regular everyday activities! So many people take these "little" things for granted.

May 1-7, 2011

Sunday-Went to church this morning and straight home after. The girls and I ran to Edwardsville to find something for Alyssa to wear to her Spring concert. We were able to find something at Kohl's. We also went to Target while we were in Edwardsville. Everything I bought at both places was either on sale or I had coupons for them. Before coupons and sale items my total at both Kohl's and Target combined would have been $125.07. After coupons and sales I paid a total of $59.13 out of pocket! AWESOME!!!!


Monday-This evening after Alyssa was finished at dance we went to Kortnie's Spring Band Concert. They did a great job! I cannot wait for Alyssa to play in the Jr. High band!!


Tuesday-Alyssa had her Spring Concert tonight. We get a bit disappointed because it is always more about certain parents than it is about the students. Oh well! To each his own. :) Alyssa left the concert a bit upset because they didn't show her picture as well as many others in the slide show they had for the fifth graders.


Wednesday & Thursday-Nothing much to report. :)


Friday-I started to not feel well last night and fought a cold all day today. After I dropped the girls off at school, I came home and slept for a bit. Tracy then took me out for Chineese for lunch. After school, I took the kids to the park to play for a while and then once home, they ate a snack and back outside to play they went! The weather was too beautiful to spend the evening inside! Hope I feel better by tomorrow. :)


Saturday-Spent most the morning cleaning and went shopping for mothers day for our mom's. Stayed home this evening and had some family time! :)

April 24,-30, 2011

Sunday-Happy Easter!
Tracy was kept up most of the night with his throbbing ear pain. We decided it best that he go to the urgent care in Highland to have it looked at. While he was there, I took the girls to church. He found out while we were at church that he has a major ear infection! They gave him a shot and wanted to give him three different meds! He said no to the pain medicine and wanted to just take Tylenol/Motrin in its place. So he then came home with two different meds instead of three.
This afternoon, the Rieke side began to arrive about 4:30 p.m. We ate at 5:00 p.m. Right after dinner Grandma and Grandpa handed out the eggs and gifts. They didn't get to hunt eggs because it was just too wet out. The kids didn't seem to mind though! It was then dessert time! My brother Russ had to leave right away because he had to work. Everyone else was not too far behind.
Once everyone was gone, I vacuumed, swept and mopped. I was exhausted, the kids were tired, and Tracy was in a lot of ear pain! We were all ready for bed. :)


Monday-This is the last day off before the girls head back to school. We didn't do too much today. Just hung out and played at home.


Tuesday-Back up for school this morning. The girls didn't really want to get up this morning. But, they did pretty well.


Wednesday & Thursday-Nothing much to report. :)


Friday-It was to bed early because the walk is tomorrow!!!


Saturday-This morning was the Friends of Kids with Cancer Run/Walk. It was a little cold when we got there but once the walk began the sun was out and it warmed right up. We are happy to report that Trystan slowly completed the 1 mile walk on her own! After the event most of the team went out to eat lunch together at Culver's in Edwardsville. We got home and the girls went to Cade's house to play. Somehow that ended up them spending the night. :) That's ok.

April 17-23, 2011

Sunday thru Thursday-Every night we went to church to listen to Ed Dunlop deliver the plain and simple message about Jesus Christ. The girls, Tracy and I loved it! Alyssa brought a friend two nights as well. She wanted to come more but had other things that didn't allow her to make it.

Friday-Even though we went to see Ed Sun thru Thurs, we were happy to be able to stay at home this evening. Just to have a night in!

Saturday-Today was cleaning day! We were preparing to have the Rieke side for Easter tomorrow. I also went ahead and made the ham ahead of time so that we could attend church in the morning. Late this afternoon, Tracy began to complain that his ear was hurting very badly.

April 10-16, 2011

Sunday-Went to church this morning together. When we came home Tracy ate lunch and went straight outside to mow. While he was out there I stayed in and cleaned house. After dinner the girls and I headed to AWANAs. It was store night at AWANAs so that the kids could use up their points and "buy goodies" with their shares. It was the last official night for AWANAs. :( The girls and I are sad that it's over already. Next Sunday night Ed Dunlop will be at our church for the AWANA kids and after he's finished they will be having a small reception to official end the year. Monday-Looking forward to another full and busy week! This evening after Alyssa was finised with dance we went to Family Night as GES. They got to go to the bookfair and get a couple of books each. We then went to the gym for the Reptile Man that came for Family Night. GROSS!!! That's all I have to say about that. When Family Night was over we stopped and picked up a pizza on the way home for dinner. We didn't get home til well after 8:00 and still needed to eat and get showers in before bedtime which is supposed to be 9:00. Needless to say we didn't make to bed at 9, but that's ok. :) Tuesday-I let the girls sleep a little bit longer this morning since they didn't get to bed til late last night. Again after dinner this evening we walked the same route as Saturday and Trystan almost shaved off a minute from Saturday's time! Wednesday-After school today the girls had practice for the Art Show. Even though we're not sure yet what they will be singing together yet. We came home finished homework and went for a walk. I thought we should try it before dinner since Trystan was getting side cramps from eating and then walking right after. She did AWESOME! Shaved off almost two minutes this time! She continues to amaze me in all she continues to do. :) Thursday-This evening while Alyssa was at dance, Trystan and I went to the park to play and pass the time. When we arrived, some of her friends were there so she played with them. I couldn't help but smile the entire time thinking of how just a few short months before she couldn't do any of this. It was beautiful outside today! Friday-The girls were happy the weekend was finally here! This evening we went to St. Louis to visit Tracy's sister Teri in the hospital. She still seemed to be in quite a bit of pain but did get up and walk the hall. I was impressed with how she was able to get around! Please continue prayers for her. Saturday-Another busy Saturday for us. This morning Alyssa had her recital pictures at the studio. We came home to drop off the costumes and went to Edwardsville to the Dance Shop to get her new jazz & ballet shoes, dance tights, jazz shorts, and a leotard. We then went for lunch and came home and spent the evening at the house. My brother and his boys came by to visit.

April 3-9, 2011

Sunday-Started the mornig off by going to church. After church the girls went to lunch with Grandma Watson and Tracy and I came home to eat. He went out after lunch to start moving and stacking more firewood while I got a little laundry done. The girls came home from lunch with Grandma, went straight upstairs to change clothes, and were out the door to play outside. I then went out and helped Tracy finish moving and stacking the firewood. We were going to get on top of the house to clean the gutters, but decided against it because of the 40+ mile per hour winds. The girls and I had to come inside to shower and get ready to go to AWANAs. We were out the door by a little after five, stopped in McDonald's for dinner, and off to AWANAs we went! Another great night at AWANAs. A little sad that it's going to be over in just a few short weeks. :( Two years ago today we took Trystan in to see Dr. Borwick because she was having leg pain. Thankfully, Dr. Borwick took Trystan's leg pain seriously and sent her over to Greenville Hospital for x-rays and bloodwork. She was the first step in saving Trystan's life! Later that day I received a call from Dr. Borwick stating we needed to go to one of the children's hospitals in St. Louis for further examination. There is where we received the news that would flip turn our lived upside down and inside out. But, looking back at all of what God has done for us and brought us through is amazing! We got through it all by God's hands and His grace! God is so good!! Monday-Back to the grind for the week! All the nice weather has come to an end today. Tuesday-The weather is continuing to warm up this week! The girls are so happy to be able to spend a little more time outside all the time. :) Trystan has her three month appointment with the surgeon tomorrow morning. Wednesday-Dropped Alyssa off at school this morning and then Tracy, Trystan, and myself headed to St. Louis for Trystan's doctors appointment with her surgeon. We arrived a little late and headed to radiology for x-rays on her leg. As soon as we finished there we went to the doctor's office for the appointment and results of the x-rays. When the doctor came in he showed us the x-rays and he seemed pleased with the results of the x-rays. Her bone is continuing to grow and thicken. Also, the old fracture from last year is finally starting to show healing. The doctor also gave Trystan permission to ride any ride at Holiday World. That news made Trystan's eyes light up! That news alone made her day! We then left the doctor's office, stopped for lunch and then headed to the school. Trystan was happy to go to school after the appointment. It is so wonderful that she loves going to school! After school I took the kiddos to the park to play for a little while to enjoy the beautiful weather. Thursday-It was a busy day after school. We came straight home after school to get homework done and get Alyssa's things together for dance and the 5th Grade Talent Show. Dropped Alyssa off at dance and Trystan and I headed to get us something to eat for dinner and then went back to pick Alyssa up. We then ate on the way to the school. When we arrived at the school Alyssa changed into her outfit for the Talent Show and headed into the school. The show had a few technical difficulties but even with those, Alyssa did an AWESOME job in both of her performances! She played her flute with a group of students for one act and did her jazz dance with Chloe and Hannah for her second act. Great Job Alyssa! We are so proud of you!!! Friday-So glad it's the end of the week. Looking forward to the weekend! Tonight after dinner the girls and I took a walk. We are wanting to get Trystan starting her training for the 1 mile Friends of Kids with Cancer walk. She really did surprisingly well. Obviously not as good as a "normal" kid but for her it was awesome! We did need to take short frequent stops, but she walked 1.12 miles in 34:29. GREAT!!! Saturday-Today Tracy and I worked outside quite a bit. We got up on the roof and cleaned out the gutters for the next big rain that's coming. We also pulled two dead plants out of the landscaping with the big orange tractor and picked up more and more and even more sticks from all of the bad winter weather. So that Tracy would be able to mow tomorrow. Even though we worked hard and it was hot out we did get quite a bit accomplished together today. :)

April 1-2, 2011

Friday-Today was April Fool's Day. The girls did try to get me throughout the day today. :) Tracy posted on facebook that he was going to be a daddy. That stirred it up! Some people didn't put two and two together that it was April 1st. He did post later that it was a joke. We were all happy that it was the end of the week and ready for the weekend. The weather is supposed to be windy but fantastic! Saturday-We spent the bulk of the day outside. The girls did help with a little yard work but mostly played. They were just happy to be outside! Tracy chopped a couple of trees down today and then he and I moved and stacked firewood. What a workout! We eneded the day with homemade pizza and a movie. :)

March 27-31, 2011

Sunday-The four of us went to church this morning. Can't believe how much snow we got throughout the day yesterday and they are calling for more yet tomorrow evening! Went to AWANAs this evening. God is good! Monday-Today I turned the BIG 36! Spent the day with little Mia and this evening Tracy took the girls and I to eat at Hibachi's on the square. The girls had never been there before and thought it was pretty good. :) All and all a great day! Tuesday-We didn't get all of the snow they had said we were going to get. So that was a relief! It has been pretty cold out though. Can't wait for spring to get here! Wednesday & Thursday-Nothing much to report. Love the "boring" days! :)

March 26, 2011

We were up and at um bright and early this morning! We had to leave the house by 7:15 a.m. to make it to Fox 2 Studio on time. They took us right back and got our microphones on and we were on the air by 8:40 a.m. Tracy and I were hoping it would just be the girls that were on but they put us in there with them as well. I continually stumbled over my own words and the girls clammed up! Oh well!! It was for a great cause and to let the bi-state area how well the girls did on their fundraiser. By the time we got home, we were exhausted and it wasn't even lunchtime yet! I did laundry throughout the day but between loads, relaxed on the couch. Trystan and Alyssa played quietly all day because they were tired as well. Tracy lounch on his recliner too. :) This evening we went to Tracy's mom's house so that I could go over some insurance informaiton she had questions about. We also stayed there for dinner to celebrate my birthday that's coming up this week. It was a good time! We made sure to get home before dark since we are still having snow at the end of March!!! It's been a very long winter and continues to hang around.

March 21-25, 2011

Monday-We took the girls to St. Louis Children's Hospital this morning to present the donations to them. Upon arrival the girls were given a HUGE check made out to Children's and had the total amount on it. They were so excited to see that check! Alyssa had been asking me if we could somehow make a large check to take, but I wasn't sure how to do that. Dr. Wilson (Trystan's Oncologist), Dr. Ziga (Trystan's in-patient Oncologist), and Nurse Practitioner Karen were there to receive the donations from the girls. Dr. Ziga didn't even recognize Trystan! He hasn't seen her for a year. She's 20 pounds heavier and has a head full of hair! Dr. Wilson kept commenting on how happy she was. God is soo good!!!!!

Tuesday-Excited about tomorrow morning! The girls were invited to a Recognition Breakfast to receive an award on behalf of GES.

Wednesday-Today was another big day! The girls, Tracy, and myself were invited to attend the 15th Annual Recognition Breakfast at Greenville College. This award is chosen by the principals of each school in the Kaskaskia River Area. Greenville Elementary School chose both Alyssa and Trystan to receive the award for the fundraising event they had in February. Tracy and I are so very proud of our girls!

Thursday-This evening we found out that Fox 2 would like to have us back on for a follow-up story on Jeans Month. The girls are really excited about seeing Teresa Woodard again!

Friday-Nothing much to report today. Needing to make sure that we all get a fairly good amount of sleep tonight. We have to get an early start tomorrow to drive to the television studio in the morning. We are supposed to be there by 8:20 a.m. and should be on the air about 8:40 a.m. :)

March 19-20, 2011

Saturday-The girls got up about 8:00 this morning. I got them their breakfast and they then played until lunchtime. I then fixed them lunch and they played again until it was time to take the friends home. Before dropping the girls' friends off we stopped off at the creamery near our house for some icecream. The girls and I had never been before and neither had their friends. It was really neat! I then dropped them off at their houses and we came back home. Alyssa and I went for a walk late this afternoon and when we came back I started on dinner. The girls then got their showers/baths and we went to bed. Although we had a jam packed weekend it was a lot of fun!

Sunday-Went to church this morning as a family and came home for lunch. We spent the afternoon at home. Alyssa practiced her instrument, whild Trystan sat and did some reading. Once they were finished with that they went outside to play and enjoy the beautiful afternoon. This evening we were back to AWANAs! The girls love AWANAs so much this year. I think they may be a little upset when it comes to an end next month. Tomorrow morning is another BIG day! We will be heading to St. Louis Children's Hospital to present them with the Jeans Month donations. We are proud of the work that our girls have done in their efforts to give back to the hospital. The grand total donations we will be presenting them is $11,300!!!!!!!!!!!

March 14-18, 2011

Monday & Tuesday-Nothing much to report today. God continues to show us so much to be thankful for.


Wednesday-It was so beautiful out today! After dinner the girls and I decided to take a short walk. I had to wipe a tear from my eye after thinking that I can't even remember the last time we were able to do this. Thank you Lord for remining me constantly in different ways how far we've come!

Thursday-This evening while Alyssa was at dance, Trystan and I sat in the car and she finished her homework. We then ran to CVS and printed out all of the Jeans Month pictures and put them into a small album. I wanted to have them with us when we go and present the donations to Children's Hospital on Monaday morning.

Friday-Each of our girls had a friend over this evening. I took them all to see the play production of Annie at the Greenville High School Auditorium. It was fabulous! All of the characters did a great job and the props, clothes, and back drops were wonderful! I couldn't believe the play was almost three hours long. Therefore, we didn't get back to the house until amost 10:30 p.m. The girls played until almost midnight and then went to sleep. :) I think they all really liked the play. (At least I hope they did!)

March 12-13, 2011

Satuday-Got up early this morning and left for Fairview Heights, St. Clair Square for the Walk for Wishes. Surprisingly, the girls got up easy. They were just as excited about going and I was. When we got there, I check in and got the bag with all the informaion and shirts to pass out to the team members. Just before the walk started, we were able to get a team picture. Trystan walked almost the whole time and kept up really well too. She only sat in the wheelchair a short while to rest. She did make it two laps of the four. A lot better than I thought she would do. Our friends the Hassard's won 1st place for both raising the most money and for the most team members! Way to go Gracie's wishes!!! I believe everyone had a pretty good time. Next fundraiser is set for April 30th for Friends of Kids with Cancer. :)

Sunday-This morning we all went to church then out to Pizza Hut for lunch with the entire Watson side. It was very nice to have us all at the same table just talking. After lunch we came home and the girls and I headed to Edwardsville to get dresses and dress shoes for the Recognition Breakfast on the 23rd. Got Trystan's dress and shoes at Kohl's and Alyssa's dress there as well. We had to go to Shoe Carnival for her dress shoes and a much needed new pair of tennis shoes. Cannot believe that Alyssa is now in a women's 5 1/2! My little girl isn't a little girl anymore. There wasn't any AWANAs tonight due to the Highland School District having a Spring Break. It was nice to be able to spend that time with my girls shopping!

March 7-11, 2011

Monday-Happy Birthday Grandma Rieke! The girls went to school today. Initially they were not supposed to have school today as it is a holiday in Illinois(Casmir Pulaski Day). They used today as one of the make up days because they've had so many snow days. Alyssa had dance this evening. While Alyssa's in dance, Trystan gets the rest of her reading and spelling finished in the car.

Tuesday-Trystan continues to grow leaps and bounds with reading. She still has a ways to go but is doing so much better! We still continue to praise God for all he has done and continues to do for us.

Wednesday-This morning I received an email from the principal at GES regarding a recognition breakfast. I was surprised to receive this email. The girls have been chosen to be recognized at the annual Illinois Principal Associations Reconition Breakfast at Greenville College. Often there are more than 30 schools there recognizing their outstanding students. I had no idea there was even such a thing! The event will be held in just a few short weeks. We are so super proud of our girls and their huge giving hearts of always to help otheres and wanting to give to otheres with less.

Thursday-Just a few short days away from the Make-A-Wish Annual Walk for Wishes! We are so excited to participate this year. We have another great group of people that have joined our team this year.

Friday-School today and family time this evening. Made pizzas and watched a movie together as a family! We'll be up bright and early tomorrow morning to leave for the Walk for Wishes!!

March 5-6, 2011

Saturday-Woke up this morning and went to the Bond County Sheriff's Department to pick up their donations. Thank you so much Sheriff, Dispatchers, and Deputies for participating in our fundraiser! The girls and I then headed to Edwardsville with my sister and mom for mom's birthday. We ate at Peel's, went shopping at Kohl's, and The Cup(cupcakery). It was a great day! The girls and I came home and spent the evening at home with Tracy eating homemade pizza and a movie.

Sunday-Started off the morning by going to church. Came home and prepared a cheese dip for my mom's retirement party. The girls played here at home until it was time to go to Highland for the party. We stayed at the party for a little while before it was time to come back home, drop Tracy off, and the girls and I headed back to Alhambra for AWANAs. It was crazy hat night!

March 1-4, 2011

Tuesday & Wednesday-Nothing out of the ordinary to report today. Tuesday evening, Trystan did walk on the treadmill today and did much better than Sunday. I suspect that it will continue to get better as she gets stronger!

Thursday-After school today the girls and I had to go by the doctor's office to get their donations for Jeans Month. They initially planned for participating one week, but it went over so well that they extended it to two weeks! Thank you so much McCracken-Dawdy-Hall Family Practice!!!

Friday-It was a busy day! After I dropped the girls off at school, I came home and did a little cleaning and then went to Edwardsville. I stopped by and had lunch with some old friends and then went back to SIUE to catch up with the others. It was great seeing everyone! I do miss them but not the work. :) They had taken up a collection for Jeans Month, so before I left they gave that to me. They gave very generously! I then came back to Greenville and picked up the girls from school. The girls and I stopped by United Stationers and picked up their donations for Jeans Month. Again, we cannot express how greatful we are not only for their participation but their generous donations. We then came home. The girls played for a while outside and then we left to go eat at Main Street Galaxy in Alhambra and pick up their donations.

February 28, 2011

Today was the start of a new week and the end of February and Jeans Month. We are still in the process of getting some of the donations. Some of the businesses have went through today so I suspect they will be calling ready for us to come and pick them up. We are so excited at how well Jeans Month has went over! Tracy and I were hoping to to $500 to $1,000. We have don surpassed that by so much!! I will blog the total amount once we get the rest of the donations. This afternoon after school I took the girls first to Bass-Mollett to pick up their donations. While we were there they gave us a tour of the facility. The girls thought it was really cool how they print and assemble all of the items. Bass-Mollett also gave the girls binder books with their pictures on the outside and also a wooden box with domino's in them. Thank you Sandy Mullen and all the employees of Bass-Mollett. After we finished at Bass-Mollett we went to the Bond County Health Department. They too participated in Jeans Month. Again we are overwhelmed with the all the generosity! God Bless you all!!!

February 26-27, 2011

Saturday-The girls and I started off our busy day by picking up my mom this morning and heading to Fairview Heights Schuck's to pick up their donations. My mom also had given us the donation from the Highland VFW Ladies Auxilary. We are overwhelmed by the response we've gotten for Jean's Month! Thank you so much!! This evening we went to the Make-A-Wish Chicken and Beer Dance in Collinsville. We are so proud of our girls always willing and ready to give back.

Sunday-Started off with the morning by going to church. We were supposed to go to a baby shower but decided against it because that would mean three trips to Alhambra: church, shower, and AWANAs. Ended the evening by taking the girls to AWANAs. Trystan is trying so hard to get this third book finished by the end of the year. So hoping she's able to do it. We may run out of time before she's able to do it. We'll just have to wait and see. :) WOW! It has been an extrememly busy weekend!

February 22-25, 2011

Tuesday-So we've been told that the Influenza A virus has hit GES hard! Many kids are out and others are "dropping like flies" throughout the days. I wonder how many have to be out before they close the school for deep cleaning? We are a bit nervous that Trystan could come down with it and have trouble fighting it off. All we can do is have the girls continue to practice good hand washing and continual hand sanitizing and pray that God will protect us from these viruses.


Wednesday-Trystan seems to be doing a little better with reading. She doesn't enjoy reading but will do it because she has to. The girls received a donation in the mail from a salon in St. Louis. Not sure if they heard about it from one of our facebook friends or if they saw us on Fox 2? Either way AWESOME!!


Thursday-Another donation came in from a church out of Ballwin, Missouri. They dedicated a Sunday service as jeans day at their church. Everyone paid $1 to wear their jeans to church. What a fabulous idea! Again not sure how they heard about Jeans Month, either way FANTASTIC!!!


Friday-I picked up the girls a little early from school today because DeMoulin's wanted to give them a tour of the plant and give them their donations. The plant tour was so cool! I think I enjoyed it just as much as they did. :) We then made our way to Bradford National Bank's Main Branch and then to Edwardsville to St. Mary's School to get their donations. We are just really overwhelmed by everyone's generosity and support. We have well surpassed our goal. Thank you everyone so much!

February 21, 2011

Today was a big day! Trystan wasn't happy at all about missing school to have to go down to the hospital. Most kids would jump at the chance to have a "day off". But not Trystan! I think because she had to miss so much school when she was sick. We dropped Alyssa off this morning at school and headed to St. Louis. We arrived at a little before 9:30 a.m. and went straight to radiology for her CT scan that was scheduled at 9:45 a.m. We were called back just about on time! However, we had to go up to the 7th floor for her CT because the one in radiology was giving them fits. Thank goodness they have an extra one so we were still able to have it done and didn't have to reschedule! Trystan is just such a pro when it comes to having to lay still. She did AWESOME! After she finished with her CT scan we went down to the 2nd floor to have her bloodwork done. Once we were called back, the lady drawing Trystan's blood either is just a crabby woman or was having a bad day and she got the brunt of it! We all left there not very happy with the way we were treated! The next stop was the 9th Floor to see Dr. Wilson. Our appointment wasn't until 11:30 a.m. and when we arrived it was only 10:30 a.m. We were sure hoping it wasn't busy and that there may be a slight chance we could get in early. Luck would have it that we were called back early. Trystan had her vitals done: blood pressure, pulse/ox, weight, and height. We then went back to the examining room to wait for Dr. Wilson. He came in right after us to let us know that the CT scan was in fact clear! The bloodwork wasn't back yet and they would call us later with those results. He also told us that since Trystan is one year out and clear that she is now extened to every four months! We are now scheduled to go back toward the end of June.

We were so happy with the results it was time to have a celebration lunch. We gave Trystan the choice of places to go to eat. She chose Long John Silver's because she loves their popcorn shrimp! It was so early when we got back that she wanted to go to school. I dropped her off a little after 1 p.m. She was so happy to be back at school!

Thank you all for your continued prayers! Keep them coming!! God is sooo good and continues to show His face to us!

February 19-20, 2011

Saturday-We started off our morning by running into town and picking up donations from Midland States Bank. The girls and I then went to Highland and picked up donations from Tri-Ford. They also had donations from Ford Square in Mt. Vernon. Thank you for your donations in supporting Alyssa and Trystan in giving back to St. Louis Children's Hospital Cancer Floor. Our next stop was Staunton. Pickerill's Pickin n Grinnin was hosting a fundraiser at their restaurant for Jeans Month. Thank you again to all of the companies and their employees that continue to give generously! Once we were finished in Staunton, we ran to Edwardsville to Michael's to pick up a birthday present for Alyssa's friend. This evening, Alyssa went to a birthday party sleepover. Trystan, Tracy and myself stayed home and had a movie and a pizza night.

Sunday-One year ago today we had Trystan's Post Chemo Party! It seems so hard to believe that it has been a year already!

On our way to church this morning we picked up Alyssa from her friend's house. After church we came home had lunch and did some of Trystan's reading. This evening I took the girls to AWANAs. Trystan was so excited to find out that she was old enough to go to church camp this summer! She couldn't stop talking about it all evening. We are a little aprehensive in sending her because of her health and physical issues. We will pray and talk about it. God will tell us what we should do.

February 14-18, 2011

Monday-Happy Valentine's Day! Trystan had her Valentine's Day party at school today, while Alyssa had her last week. This was her first Valentine's Day school party since kindergarten that she was able to attend! She was so excited! Please pray for our niece Cadence she left our house after school sick.


Tuesday-The girls have been officially exposed to both strep and influenza a. :( Please pray that our girls as well as the rest of the family will be spared. Especially Trystan with her upcoming scans.


Wednesday-Called the doctor's office this morning and explained our situation with Cade being sick and being in close contact with our entire family. They thought it best to put our entire family on tamiflu. So we started it this evening after dinner. Please also remember Tracy's sister in your prayers as she has been diagnosed with cancer today. She will be enduring a CT scan tomorrow morning so that the doctors will know what they need to do to help her. Please also pray for her husband, Brad and three sons as well as wisdom for the doctors.


Thursday-Nothing much to report today. Girls went to school and Alyssa had dance this evening.

Friday-Just before school let out, Alyssa and Trystan were presented a check from GES for Jeans Month. Thank you to all of the faculty and staff that participated by wearing their jeans and giving such generous donations! This evening, Alyssa had a make-up class for her Thursday night class because of all of the snow days that forced them to not have class.

February 12-13, 2011

Saturday-Slept in this morning. Once we were up Tracy took me out for breakfast! After breakfast we did some running around in town, came home and I started on the neglected laundry while Tracy worked on trying to break up the slick, ice covered drive way. Doris brought the girls home about 1 p.m. Trystan woke up at grandma's with yet another cold! I think this one I am guilty of giving to her. :( She sounds just like I did a week ago. Gave her some medicine and she took a long nap. Praying that it clears up before her scans on the 21st. Not sure if they will go thru with the scans if she's sick.


Sunday-Before we went to church this morning Trystan did her math homework. We came home afterward for lunch. In the afternoon Trystan finished her homework and then we left to run some errands before heading to AWANAs. The theme tonight was Hershey Kiss Night(for Valentine's Day). Came home and Trystan was still fighting her cold. She has about one week to get over this before her scans or we may need to reschedule.

February 7-11, 2011

Monday-This morning Tracy and I were still bothered by the fact that Trystan was complaining about her foot on and off over the weekend. So, I called Dr. McDonald's office and spoke with the head nurse. After answering a lot of questions, it was decided to have Trystan come in and have an x-ray done of her right foot and then see the doctor. Praying that it's nothing.

Tuesday-Trystan has told us that she's a little nervous to go see the doctor tomorrow. But, she's also said that her foot has felt pretty good. Tracy and I have decided to keep the appointment to help put our minds at ease.

Wednesday-This morning I took the girls to school. I went and picked up Trystan from school about 2:15 p.m. Alyssa stayed and my mom picked her up for us. We arrived at the doctor's office a little before 3:30 p.m. Went in for the x-rays and then over to the doctor's office. He reviewed her x-rays and said that he didn't see anything to be concerned about and came to the conclusion that it is tendonitis. We are so thankful that it was nothing! I took Trystan to McDonald's to eat supper then met up with my mom at Poplar Junction to get Alyssa. The girls had a blast watching my mom and the rest of her team bowling. They got a little upset with me when I said it was time to go.

Thursday-Trystan's foot seems to be doing well since she's been wearing the new shoes we bought her Saturday. Praying that this continues!

Friday-The girls were pretty tired today! It's been quite a while since they've had to go a full five days to school. This afternoon Grandma Watson called and invited the girls to come and spend the night at her house with her and Cade. They were so excited to do so! I fed them dinner and then we took them over to Doris's house. Once we left there, Tracy and I went to Staunton to eat at Pickerill's Pickin n Grinnin. It was really good! They are planning a fundraiser for next week Saturday to help support the girls' cause to give back to St. Louis Children's Hospital.

February 5-6, 2011

Saturday-Woke up this morning to snow! A lot more than we thought we were going to get!! This morning the girls got up and played together right away. We all four then went into ALCO in town to try to find Trystan a new pair of shoes. Thankfully they had some that she liked and that were comfortable on her feet. After lunch the girls got dressed in their warm clothes and went outside to play in the snow. Together they built a little snowman. Late this afternoon my sister called and she and Kortnie invited us to go out to dinner and then all go bowling together. Trystan still isn't able to hold the ball on her own. The extra weight puts a strain on her leg and could possibly break it. So therefore, I walk the ball up to the lane and she and I throw it down the alley. Even though she needs my help, she still had a great time! Alyssa had a wonderful time as well. It is so fun to be able to go into places and do things that at one time were impossible for us to do. Thank you God for continuing to show us the "little" things that we used to take for granted. Throughout the day Tracy and I kept asking Trystan if her foot/heel was hurting her. She kept telling us that it didn't hurt her. Praying that she is telling us the truth knowing that if she tells us that it does hurt she'll have to go to the hospital.


Sunday-This morning Tracy, Doris, the girls, and myself went to Crown Point Church in Pittsburg (right outside of Vandalia). Tracy was asked to give his testimony of the past two years. When he was asked to come forward, they dismissed the younger kids and we told Trystan that she could stay up with us in the sanctuary, but she wanted to go with the rest of the kids. Alyssa stayed upstairs with us. Tracy did a great job! After the church service ended we went into Vandalia for lunch with Doris and then returned home. We were home for a little while and then I took the girls to AWANAs. This evening the cold that I came down with on Friday really kicked in and I wasn't feeling well at all! Hope I can kick it quick and that the rest of the family doesn't get it!!

February 1-4, 2010

Tuesday-School was cancelled today because of the storm that continues accross the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. It's still continuing to sleet outside and the meteorologists are saying that there is a big snow storm that's coming. Also, checks continue to come in one by one in the mailbox. The girls are excited at the number of responses we are getting to help them give back to St. Louis Children's Hospital. We are getting donations from both companies and individuals! This evening just after supper the lights began to flicker on and off. So I hurried the girls upstairs for their bath and showers. Just after they finished their bath/showers the power went off. It was off for about an hour and then came back on. We were so excited! I blew out all the candles, only for the power to go back off again after 10 to 15 minutes and it stay off for the rest of the evening. Thankfully, I had inflated the air mattress in preparation of a power outage. We moved it into the family room where the fireplace is that way the girls had something to sleep on. Trystan was excited because she said that it was like camping. Because of the fire and being able to sleep in the same bed as her sissy! Tracy slept in the recliner and I slept on the couch. Throughout the night Tracy had to continue adding wood to the fire to keep it going so we could stay warm.



Wednesday-This morning we woke up and there still was no power. First thing Tracy and I did was emptied out the refrigerators and put all of the food in totes and placed them on the back porch to keep the items cold and from spoiling. The house continues to get colder and colder. We hunkered down in the family room the entire day. We had picnic meals, played games, and helped Trystan with her Valentine boxes and cards all in front of the fireplace. The family room stayed around 60 degrees. The rest of the house was between 54-56 degrees. COLD!!! Thankfully at about 6:30 p.m., as we were getting ready to eat supper, the power came back on. Hip hip horray!! Just shy of 24 hours. The furnace kicked on and the house heated right up. We all got our hot shower/baths and turned on our electric blankets. All four of us were happy to be able to sleep in our own beds and with heat!



Thursday-We all slept good last night in our own beds and stayed warm with heat! We are so thankful that the electricity was restored last night at dinnertime. Still no school today due to icy roads and dangerously cold temperatures! Even though there wasn't any school today, Alyssa did have dance tonight.



Friday-Back to school today. While I was dropping the girls off at school Trystan told me that her right heel was hurting her. I was concerned and asked her if she needed me to bring her a different or more comfortable pair back to her at school. She reassured me that she was fine and that I worry too much. Greenville only had school until 12:30 p.m. They were already scheduled for an early dismissal. Since they got out of school early, we swung by the First National Bank here in Greenville to pick up their donations for Jeans Month. They were all very kind and even posed for a picture with the girls! We came home for about an hour and then headed to Washington University where Tracy works because they too had a donation for the girls. Both Alyssa and Trystan were very excited knowing that businesses are participating in their fundraiser! Tracy and I are concerned about this pain that Trystan has complained off and on about today in her foot. We have decided to wait and see how she is tomorrow. If the pain is still bothering her we will discuss further if we need to contact the doctor.

January 31, 2010

The girls went to school today only for them to call off school at 1:30 p.m. due to a winter storm tht was beginning. Throughout the day we had freezing rain that eventually turned into a lot of sleet! Dance was also called off this evening due to the weather. I think we may be stuck at home for a few days.

January 29-30, 2011

Saturday-Stayed home for the bulk of the day except this evening when we ran to Wal-Mart in Vandalia to pick up a few items.

Sunday-We all went to church this morning. It was our last day to teach Children's Church. Came straight home from church, ate lunch, and I headed to my mom and dad's while the girls stayed home with daddy. I rode along with my parents to my Great Great Aunt Bea's wake in St. Louis. They picked up my Grandma Huck on the way. While I was gone, Tracy and the girls went out to Jeff and Katie's for wood. While they were there the girls played with Josie and Russel. They had a lot of fun! I came by the house after the wake and picked up the girls and we went to AWANAs. The theme night for AWANAs tonight was fleese/flannel pajama night. Before coming home from AWANAs, the girls and I stopped by IGA for some groceries in case we have to go without power during the upcoming storm. If it happens.

January 24-28, 2011

Monday-Both the girls were back to school. The weather is supposed to be good this week, so they should be in school all week. Today was the start for jeans week at Greenville Elementary School. The teachers will be wearing jeans all week! Thank you GES for your participation.

Tuesday-The girls are super excited because single person donations have been coming in the mail about every other day! Thank you to everyone who has given donations to help support their cause!

Wednesday-Nothing much to report today. It's been an exhausting week so far and we're only half way through.

Thursday-It's been a long week for the girls. They haven't had to go a full week since prior to Christmas! Every night Trystan's been extremely exhausted and her appetite's been all over the map. Hoping she's not getting sick or something else. Please pray for her. On a much higher note, there was only two people in Trystan's class that received a 100% on their spelling pretest and Trystan was one of them! Congratulations Trystan!!! Great job :)

Friday-This morning we stopped by Southwestern Electric to pick up their donations and were super excited to open their envelope. After school they played until it was time for dinner. Dinner was finished and we relaxed together for the evening. Looking forward to the weekend!

January 23, 2010

It was another busy Sunday! I am so thankful to be able to say that it was a busy Sunday! One year ago we were still unable to do a lot of "normal" things that were once just taken for granted. We went to church this morning and taught Children's Church. Came home from church and ate a very quick lunch only to leave right away for a baby shower in Aviston. Going to the shower the roads were wet but clear. Coming home was a totally different story. The roads were snow-covered and extremely slick! After we got home, we were preparing to go to AWANAs when the phone rang to tell us that they cancelled AWANAs due to the weather. Trystan was upset that it was cancelled, she was really looking forward to going. So we stayed home and snuggled on the couch! I'll take that any day. Thank you God for a wonderful day with my family!

January 22, 2010

We all got up early this morning and headed to Maryland Heights, MO to the Fox 2 News Studios. Thankfully, there wasn't any snow overnight so that made the commute go smoothly. When we arrived, we waited in the break room of the studio. Not too long after, we were getting our microphones on and the interview began. After the interview, we were invited to stay and go inside the studio watch the rest of the newscast. That was really neat! The girls were in awe at how everything is operated. When we got home we watched the interview on the dvr. We were in tears watching it. Tracy and I are so proud of our girls at their efforts and their extremely large "giving hearts!" We continue to thank God everyday for his shower of blessings!

January 17-21, 2011

Monday-This morning both girls had fever and were hacking and coughing terribly. I called the doctor's office and spoke with a nurse. The nurse told me that they've seen a lot of this and it's a virus that just has to run its course. But, because Trystan's immune system is at risk, they wanted to evaluate her to be safe. We had to go to the Pocahontas office to see the doctor because they were completely booked in Greenville. Alyssa stayed home with Grandma until Tracy got back from work. We saw the doctor and he looked her over real good and said that he thought it was a virus but prescribed a cough medicine for her and Alyssa's cough. Trystan and I then ran to Greenville CVS to pick up that script and some Gaterade. We then came home. Trystan's fever seemed to have broke today. Hopefully, Alyssa will follow. No school for my kiddos tomorrow though. Too sick!


Tuesday-Trystan woke up with a little more energy today, but still coughing really bad. Alyssa woke up still with fever and coughing. Hoping her fever breaks today. While home with the two sick ones, I was disinfecting again when the phone rang. It was WGEL, the local radio station, they had seen the article that the Greenville Advocate put in the paper about Jeans Month. He was wanting some additional information so he can put it on the radio later today. They were so excited to be able to hear their names on the radio! On and off through the day Alyssa's fever would be up and down. At 3:00 p.m. I went to pick up the girls' school work, came home and the girls got to work without me ever getting on them about it. :)


Wednesday-Trystan was back to school today and was so happy! Alyssa was upset to have to stay home and miss another day. I am so glad that both of our girls really enjoy school. Alyssa had no fever at all today! Yeah!! That means she should be able to return to school tomorrow, that is if they don't have a snow day.


Thursday-Yep. There was a snow day today. I think we must have gotten almost a foot of snow! Only the girls couldn't go outside because they were still coughing pretty badly. We did however run into town to the grocery store. The country roads were very snowcovered but not too bad to drive on since the plow had come through earlier. In town, the main roads were great! Not sure if they'll have school tomorrow though because of drifting snow?

We've gotten more interest in the Jeans Month! We are all so excited at the response we are getting. We never knew that it would have gotten as big as it has! Thank you all for supporting our girls' cause!


Friday-No school again today. Most kids are probably jumping up and down because there's no school. Not the Watson girls. They love school! They're a little upset. I think that it's maybe because they know that the more days they have off because of the weather, the longer they'll have to go into June. :)
Well tomorrow is the big day! We'll be rising early and heading accross the river to Fox 2! The girls are very excited to be on tv, but most of all because they get to see Teresa Woodard!!

January 15-16, 2011

Saturday-Tracy and I slept in this morning and the girls got home about noon. They had a great time with Grandma and slept well too! I had Alyssa take about an hour nap this afternoon before she had to shower and leave for Abbey's birthday sleepover at the Sheraton in St. Louis. Trystan just relaxed all day and then got cleaned up so we could do something this evening. Tracy, Trystan, and myself took Alyssa into town to meet up with Abbey's dad. We said our good-byes and then met Tim, Lori, and Cade to go to the RV Show in St. Louis. We all rode in Tim's vehicle together. On our way to St. Louis we stopped in Collinsville to eat at Steak n Shake. Once we arrived at the RV Show the girls were in and out of almost every camper! They had a really good time. Trystan only rode in her wheelchair a little, but did complained off and on that her throat hurt. She fell asleep on the way home. Sure hoping she's not getting sick.


Sunday-It was one year ago today that Trystan finished her very last chemo treatment. Only there won't be much celebrating it today. Because we woke up to Trystan in the doorway to our room saying she's gonna get sick. I just told her to try to get to the toilet. Tracy got her cleaned up while I cleaned the floors and the bathroom up. He took her temperature and yes she had a low grade fever. She went right back to sleep and slept til almost 10:00 a.m. When Trystan did get up her fever had gone up about a degree. I got her to suck on some ice chips and those seemed to stay down o.k. She then was able to take a Tylenol to help with the fever and sore throat. We're not sure if it's a stomach bug, upper respritory flu, or possibly strep throat. Have to wait thru the day and see how she is tomorrow. Alyssa arrived home late this afternoon and had an excellent time! It all came to an end about 8:00 though because Alyssa then started showing symptoms of having the same thing that Trystan has. I think it's going to be a long night.

January 10-14, 2010

Monday-Start of a new week. I think the girls are happy to be back in school! The weather forecast for this evening is three to six inches of snow tonight. We'll see if the girls have school tomorrow. This evening Alyssa had dance. After dance we came home, had dinner, baths, and showers. By that time we finished all that it was time for bed! It still wasn't snowing when we put the girls down for the night.


Tuesday-Was woke up this morning with a phone call from the school. School's been cancelled due to the snow. I looked out the window and there was a blanket of snow and it was still coming down. I went ahead and let the girls wake up on their own. I spent the day cleaning the house and doing laundry. The girls spent the day playing, playing, and more playing! Just before 9:00 p.m. we got a call from the school cancelling for tomorrow due to the blowing/drifting snow and dangerously low wind chill. No rush in going to bed tonight!


Wednesday-Why is it when the kids are allowed to sleep in they get up early? The girls did a lot of playing today as well. The girls were having cabin fever and asked if I would take them to a McDonald's play land. So we took a road trip to Vandalia McDonald's. The country roads were still a little slick but the interstate was clear. They ate and then played in the play land. Another milestone was accomplished today. I don't know when the last time it was that Trystan played in a McDonald's play land. Alyssa was the wonderful BIG sister and made sure that Trystan stayed safe up in the play land. After we left McDonald's we had to run to Wal-Mart for some necessities. Came home after Wal-Mart and did a few more loads of laundry and started supper. Had a great day!


Thursday-It was back to school for the kiddos today. After dropping them home, I got a call from my mom saying she was in CC Food Mart in Pierron and saw Trystan's picture on the front page of the paper along with an article about the Jeans Month we are doing in February. I'm a little unsure about them putting my home phone number and email address in the paper. I am however very excited about the fundraiser. I've been told that GES and Pocahontas Grade Schools are both going to allow their faculty to wear jeans for one week! Also, Tri-Ford in Highland/Greenville will allow for their empoyees to do it for a day! There are a few other leads. Hoping to find more companies to join in on the February Jeans Month.


Friday-It was the last day of the week. Yeah!! The girls went to Grandma Watson's house this evening to spend the night. Tracy and I went out to dinner just the two of us to the winery in Carlyle and then met up with Tim and Lori afterwards. We don't get to have a date night without the kids very often. Glad to spend the one on one time together. Was hoping and praying all evening that the girls behaved themselves and slept for Grandma.

January 8-9, 2010

Saturday-The girls and I went for haircuts today. Trystan really needed her ends trimmed! It has really seemed to help her hair to grow a little faster. Alyssa went to just get a trim but we found out that she really needed a couple of inches trimmed. She had some really back dead ends. Alyssa's been working so hard on growing her hair long. I think she was a little upset about getting that much cut off.

Sunday-We all got up a little earlier and decided to go to Huddle House for breakfast before church. Right after we finished eating, Tracy started to feel sick. We decided it best that he go home instead of to church. We dropped him off and the girls and I headed to church. I had to be sure to be at church because I have children's church this month. Alyssa was a great helper with children's church. After church we headed to Highland. A friend of ours had a roller backpack she was willing to give to Trystan. Trystan is not allowed to carry anything for fear of too much weight on her leg. And, it's purple!!! We met up with Robin and she gave us the backpack. Thank you so much Robin!!! After we picked up the backpack, the girls and I stopped for lunch at Subway. Lunch was finished and we headed home. Tracy was still not feeling the best when we arrived home. We were only home for a few hours and it was time to leave for AWANAs. The girls were so excited that AWANAs was starting back up this evening after not having it for two weeks due to Christmas and New Year's.

January 3-7, 2010

Monday-This morning the girls slept in. Tracy had to go to work for a little while and the girls and I were to meet up with him in Troy to all ride together to go to the doctor. The girls and I got ready to leave a little early so we could stop for some lunch before meeting Tracy. Unfortunately, the top of my car hit the bottom of the garage door as it was on its way up. Not a good start to the day! We had to drive the truck instead of my car as I now couldn't get it out of the garage. I was sure hoping that this didn't mean that there was more bad news to come once we got to the doctor's office. That put us a little behind, so we didn't get to stop for lunch before getting to the doctor's office. We did arrive on time for the appointment. First thing was to have x-rays on Trystan's leg. It was then back over to the doctor's office. The doctor reviewed her x-rays and said that there was still a little crack but he thought she was ready to put away the walker. Trystan is allowed to only walk and do steps. Absolutely now jumping, running, skipping, hopping, etc. But, it's a "step" in the right direction! Amen!! What a great start to the new year. :)

Tuesday-It's back to the grind! School started back up today. Trystan walked into the school without the aid of a walker or wheelchair for the first time since May 2009! It was extremely emotional for me to see her walk in and through the school on her own. I went ahead and took her wheelchair with her to school in case she gets tired or her leg starts to hurs. When I picked the girls up from school, Trystan was so happy to tell me that she didn't need to use her wheelchair at all!

Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday-Nothing different to report. Trystan continues to do well with walking and doing steps. She still hasn't needed to use her wheelchair!

January 1-2, 2010

Saturday-Happy New Year!!! This morning we all slept in from getting in so late last night. We all didn't do much of anything until after lunch. The girls played and I walked the treadmill. This evening we went to Tracy's mom's house for dinner. While there, she had the kids and grandkids go thru some of John's things. It was very hard for all of us to do.


Sunday-This morning we went to church. I have children's church for the month of January. It went surprisingly well. Hopefully the rest of the month goes as smoothly as today! The girls have one more day to sleep in before having to go back to school. Tomorrow is another BIG day. We go to visit the bone doctor again for Trystan's six week appointment. Praying for good news!