Celebrating Two with Thomas

Our Thomas filled Day

On Saturday, we spent the morning with Thomas the Train. Trent is a big fan and really enjoyed all the Thomas related activities. There was plenty to do! Some highlights... (clockwise on the picture) We played with Thomas the Train trainsets, played in the sand and bubbles, got a Percy tattoo, took our picture with the famous engine, fed some goats, and rode on Thomas!

After naptime, we celebrated his birthday meal with all the grandparents and great-grandma Janet. We had a cheese and cracker platter, followed by Shepards Pie for dinner, and chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes for dessert.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes - Yumm!!

The cupcakes were delicious. It was a new recipe, but they really turned out well. I only let Trent have one, but he definitely let me know he wanted more!

Blowing Out the Candles!

Just for fun

Coasters!

I didn't keep them for myself, so someone will be receiving them in the mail soon. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Patch Tradition

Every fall, we make a trip to a pumpkin patch outside of town. It is always one of my favorite family day trips of the year. They have a corn maze, a hay ride, a petting zoo, horse rides, kiddie tractors, and of course picking out a pumpkin! It's bunches of fun for the kids! Last year Trent was only about 7 months old when we went. He did the corn maze and picked out a pumpkin, but it wasn't really a 'hands on' experience. This year, Trent was interested in everything. Grandma and Grandpa Reiersen came down for the weekend and joined us for the trip. It was so much fun to have them along. Grandpa even escorted Trent on his very first horseback ride. Trent loved it! He has no fear of animals and loves all kinds of animals. He spent forever in the bird barn (there were coups full of chickens, ducks and geese). He even pet a baby chicken.

Pumpkin Pickin'

Hayride!

TJ's first horseback ride

Petting a chicken

Riding a John Deere for Uncle Eric

Long Weekend in Tennessee

We went up to my parents for Labor Day weekend. It was a lot of fun. While visiting with Nanny, Poppy, Mom and Dad; we played cards, rode bikes, went on boat rides, swam in the lake, played in the yard. We also watched Auburn's opening football game (which we won - War Eagle!) Overall, we just had a really nice time together. The weather was perfect. The lows were in the 50s and highs in the 80s and 90s. The cool nights make the views of the mountains so clear. The leaves are already starting to change color. We went on one particular boat ride up Abrams Creek in the Smokies. It was so pretty. There are steep, forested, mountain ledges on each side that go straight down to the water. It's going to be really gorgeous in about a month when the leaves are vibrant reds, oranges and yellows. Anyway, we took a bunch of pictures from the weekend, but none on the boat because the normal photographer (Jesse) did some of the driving and I don't remember to take pics as often as he does.

Spending Time with Nanny and Poppy

Playing At Grandma and Grandpa R's

Beach Vacation - Day 1

A week or two ago, Jesse and I decided a family vacation was in order. We really hadn't been anywhere this summer purely for vacation and we're fast approaching the "I'm not driving long distances" phase of pregnancy. So we looked around at places to stay at lakes and the gulf. The beaches are open again, but tourism is still hurting because of the oil spill. We opted to go for a long weekend to the gulf. I think this may be our first "official" family vacation. We've driven different places for holidays, weddings, etc. but I think this is the first trip as a family of 3 without any other agendas attached.

The weather has been beautiful - hot and sunny. We arrived at the beach around lunchtime and went to my favorite restaurant in town. It's no frills but I LOVE their fried crab claw plate. They give you a ton of fried crab claws, french fries, and cole slaw. They throw in a few hush puppies too, but I normally pass those along to TJ or Jesse. It's a beach staple. I can't be in town without eating there at least once.

Next up, we hit the beach! Trent went to the beach last year when he was about 5 months old. You may remember the post from here. It was fun to show him the sand and the water but he wasn't really moving around much at that point. Now at 17 months, he's a full speed ball of energy. He played in the sand, played in the water, ran around the beach, chased waves with Daddy... It was so much fun to see what a difference a year makes!

Checking out the Toys

Love the wind blown hair!

Come join us!

Wet toes in the sand

Beach Lover at Heart

Piano Practice

TJ and Grandma Sue

TJ has always loved music. He knows which toys play certain songs and will go and hit through the various songs until he gets to the ones he likes. Then he starts dancing. He loves to dance! He enjoys making noise as well. This is where Grandma Sue comes in. She has a piano and the two of them play together. Grandma Sue's part of the duet sounds like classical music. Trent's portion of the duet sounds like thunder. It's cute to watch them play together.

Family Shots - Wedding Pics, Part III

One of the great things about weddings is that they bring a lot of family together. Our family is really spread out. We have people representing every region of the US and some in Europe too. Family came from the east, west and places in between to celebrate Dana and Chris's marriage.

Dana made such a gorgeous bride!

My brother's adorable family

Texas is HOT

One of the family tables - Poppy, Nanny, Aunt Vicki, Uncle Bob, Eric, Alicia, Lily

My handsome men and Grandma Sue

Bride and Groom - Wedding Pics, Part II

Ceremony in Progress

Mr. and Mrs.

First Dance

Dana and Chris with Mom and Dad R

Time for Cake!

Here Comes the Bride - Wedding Pics, Part I

Finally! I had to scan in pictures from the wedding. Having a toddler to chase after and being the matron of honor, I did not get the opportunity to take many pictures on the actual wedding day. But thankfully, relatives of mine did take some pictures of the beautiful day.

The lovely bride and her father

The best man and I escorting my lovely little niece

Flower Girl, ready for her closeup

Trent escorting the mother of the bride and the groom

TJ Close Up

Lily and Trent were opposites when it came time to walk down the aisle. As we were waiting to walk down, Trent was contently hanging out with Grandma. Once he started walking down the aisle, he was less than thrilled with the situation (as evidenced by him trying to sit down in the picture). Lily was coming apart inside. The best man was holding my bouquet and Lily's basket until we were inches from walking down the aisle because I was trying to manhandle my rambunctious niece. Once she saw all eyes were on her, she was absolute angel walking down the aisle. You just never know how they're going to behave in a wedding!

Doctors Appointments and a Plan

Dale and Sue had meetings today with the various doctors that will be assisting with Sue's treatment. She is really blessed to have some great doctors. A friend of mine used to work with one of Sue's doctors and I asked her what he was like. Her response was, "He's fabulous. He is very smart and compassionate." Definitely what you want to hear when someone is talking about your doctor!

Sue has two treatment options. The first option is to have chemo, wait for the tumor and liver spots to shrink, and then have two surgeries to remove the liver spots and colon mass. The second option is to remove the colon mass, then after she recovers from that surgery, start the chemo to shrink the liver spots. Once they are smaller, have a second surgery to remove the liver spots. It sounds like they are leaning towards the second option.

Both Dale and Sue were optimistic and had a sense of relief after meeting with the doctors today. Both doctors took their time to explain the procedures and answer all of the questions that were asked of them.

I read this verse today and it seemed applicable for the current situation.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (I Thes 5:16-18)

Thank you all your prayers and sweet comments. I know everyone in the family appreciates them!

Not the News We Wanted to Hear

Sue called the doctor for the results from her biopsy last week. We were all hoping that the mass in her colon was benign and that the liver spots were nothing to worry about it. Instead, we found out that she has stage 4 colon cancer and that the cancer has spread to her liver.

Sue has felt an overwhelming sense of peace and strength from God throughout this whole ordeal, but especially after hearing yesterday's news. It's like it's overflowing from her. For that, I'm very grateful.

Please continue to pray for Sue. We all hope for healing and know that God can and does perform miracles when he chooses. We don't understand why this is happening, but pray that God can use her and will be honored through it. Please continue to pray for the rest of the family as well as we adjust to what this means in the upcoming days.

They have a meeting with the doctor today to further discuss the situation and treatment options. Please pray for the doctors as they make decisions regarding her care.

England Bound!

Team Holtkamp

These newlyweds move to England on Thursday! I am so excited for them as they start their adventure as a married couple, but we will certainly miss having them on this side of the Atlantic. Love you both!

Coming Home

Sue (my mother in law) comes home today. She was in a good mood when I spoke to her. It'll be nice for her to be in her own house and not in a hospital room. She sounds like she's getting pretty bored at the hospital - every time I talk to her she's walking laps! :) We're excited to see her feeling better and moving around. I'll continue to post as she recovers and any news of future surgeries comes up. Thank you to everyone who has been praying. They're appreciated!

Texas Trip Recap - Part II

Most of the days we were in Texas, the schedule went something like this:

We would get up, have breakfast, take Trent to a local park, come back for a swim in the hotel pool, have some lunch, put Trent down for a long afternoon nap, and then go out for a sit down dinner (whether it be dinner with family, rehearsal dinner, wedding, etc.) The park was beautiful. It was right on a river and had playgrounds designed specifically for the little ones. Trent and Lily had a lot of fun burning off some energy!

Texas Trip Recap - Part I

Dana's wedding week was a whirwind, but a lot of fun. We drove out Tuesday night, spent the night in a hotel and arrived in Marble Falls, TX on Wednesday morning. Mom and Dad R, Nanny and Poppy and Eric, Alicia and Lily all arrived on Wednesday as well. So on Thursday, we drove to Fredericksburg, TX. It is a cute little town with a German flair. We shopped the little shops, played in a local park, and ate German cuisine. Nanny and Poppy toured a military museum there as well and said that it was really interesting. It was a World War II museum on the War in the Pacific. The girls (Dana, Alicia, and I) had to leave a little early to get to Dana's bachelorette party in Austin that night. So after lunch, we left the kids with the guys and headed out.

Alicia and Lily

Lily's "blue steel look"

TJ verifying the structural integrity of the police station

Family Fun in the park

Sharing toys in the backseat

Good News

They removed the nasal canula from Sue and she was able to get up and move around a bit today. They were going to discuss with the doctors when she can start eating again and what her meals will be like. Doctor said that she is doing really well.

Back in the Recovery Room

Surgery went well. The doctors plan to start her back on fluids tomorrow and hopefully solids after that. She has not eaten anything since Sunday so she is hungry. She will have to go back in two weeks to have the mass removed. In the meanwhile, she will hopefully be coming home on Sunday to recover from this surgery at home. She and Dale are both tired but they were in good spirits tonight.

Update on Sue

Sue was about to go into surgery the last time we saw her. The last update I received was that her colon is too inflamed to do the surgery to remove the tumor. For now, they're doing a surgery to hopefully relieve some of the pressure. They will have to go in again after she recovers from this surgery. I am sure we will know more once we hear that she is out of surgery.

Prayer Request

Please pray for Jesse's mother. She is having surgery today to remove a tumor in her colon.

The story:

Jesse's parents were driving home from Dana's wedding. They had stopped in a hotel in Louisiana for the night and Sue started experiencing pain. They went to the hospital and it was determined that she had an intestinal blockage. It was later determined to be a tumor. She was transferred by ambulance from Louisiana to UAB hospital. She was admitted to UAB last night. They are removing the tumor this afternoon to relieve the pressure. They are probably going to have to take some of her colon as well. They will be biopsying her liver during surgery.

Please pray for a successful surgery, strength for both Dale and Sue, and guidance/knowledge for the doctors that they'll have more answers soon.

We're back!

Sorry for the lack of blog posts during the past week. We were in Texas for a very important occasion - my sister's wedding. The whole week was a lot of fun. We had the chance to see a lot of family, TJ played a bunch with his cousin and did a great job as ring bearer. My sister looked gorgeous and the wedding was beautiful. I have to organize the pics (and get some from my sister in law). Since I was in the wedding, I didn't get the chance to take pictures during the wedding and since Trent doesn't sit still, Jesse had his hands full as well! But be on the lookout because I plan to post them over the next few days!