Memorial Day Fun

Sorry, no pictures for this post. We had a wonderful memorial day. The weather has been perfect. Jack and I rode our bikes down to the fun run this morning, and then borrowed Shelyn's jogging stroller for the race. It was a 3K. We have a friend who took 2nd last year, and was pretty determined to take 1st this year. He succeeded. His time was 9 min 2 seconds. Super impressive. I jogged with Jack until Shelyn's daughter joined him in the stroller, then I ran ahead of them. I finished just a few minutes before them (because I wasn't pushing 2 kids in a stroller). I saw a lot of people I know, and a ton of my former students from the middle school. It was great to see everyone. And like I said, the weather for the run was perfect, and now I know where to start and finish if I want to run 3k. 

After the race, Jack and I went back home to him to take a nap. Then we headed back to Shelyn's for an awesome BBQ. We had Argentine food. I think I ate enough meat to last for the next month at least. It was absolutely delicious. We spent most of the day there, and then came home to play with Jack for a few hours before bed. What a great day!

Something cute that Jack did today: Shelyn has one big stair onto a small porch, and then another big stair onto the ground outside. Jack would climb up both, and then turn around and try to walk down each step without falling. He tried and tried and tried. I was amazed how many times he was willing to fall to his knees before he finally got it right. He successfully stepped down both stairs without falling, and he just grinned and clapped and grinned and clapped and all of us cheered so loud for him. It was the best. I am so proud of the perseverance my little man already has. What a lucky mom I am. 

Challenge Accepted

I recently went to my favorite thrift store. Tony had requested some good ol' fashioned suspenders. (He has gotten so skinny, his pants don't stay up and his belts just make his pants bunch up. Doesn't he look so sexy!

I also came home with yet one more hat. (I am a hat person. For some people it's shoes, others purses. For me: HATS!) And Tony said that I needed an intervention (joke from a TV show we like). He said that he was pretty sure I could wear a different hat every day for a month. So of course I said "Challenge Accepted" (another quote from said tv show). So for the month of June, I will be wearing a different hat every single day. Below is an example of some of my hats. Pictures to follow!

One Year Old Adrenaline Junkie

Jack LOVES playing the piano. He is such a cute little guy. I love how he waves his little bum to the music. We have rigged it so he can climb up to the piano on his own, and he (of course) knows how to turn it on by himself, and he also knows how to get all the music to play. I think he knows more of the buttons than I do. I have a smart kid. 

So this is my one-year-old adrenaline junkie. He just loves to do scary things. He has watched some of my friends kids do this, but they are much older than him. I just love the look he gets on his face before he falls. Such a funny kid. I have to admit I am kind of proud that he is brave enough to just let himself fall like that. He also has learned how to go down slides the correct way and he can climb up, sit down, and start sliding all on his own. He is such an independent little guy (I have no idea where he got that from).  :)

New Calling

I got a new calling in church this week. I now teach in the Nursery. We have 3 different groups and 4 rotations, so I teach the lesson 3 times. I got to observe today and I think I am really going to like it. The time flew by and the kids are all so cute!

Jack is also very excited about my new calling. It means that he gets to go to nursery a few months early. All of the leaders were amazed by him. He behaved so well. And he loved music time. He tried to do all the hand motions that they did in the songs. It was very cute. (He did try to eat a crayon during coloring time, so we will have to work on that at home). You can't see the color very well on his little project today because he doesn't push very hard when coloring, but he did a pretty good job. I was so proud of my little man. 

More Fun with Jack

This is Jack's new favorite game.  I think we could entertain for hours by doing this. He is such a cute little guy. 

http://youtu.be/AuYxWxQS_7Q

One of our friends was over and he decided to bury Jack in all of his stuffed animals. It was pretty funny. He sure is spoiled. 

Day Date and Spray Park

A friend of ours watched Jack for a few hours this morning so that Tony and I could go on a day date. We had a lot of fun. While we were out an about, we saw a spray park that is really close to our apartment. We were so excited. So we went home, ate a late lunch, and then suited Jack up and headed back to the spray park. It was a blast. And to add to the awesomeness, there is a building right next to the spray park that makes a huge chunk of shade. Tony spent most of the time in the shade, but showed Jack some cool things to do in the water for a few minutes. We had such a good day today, but Tony is pretty wiped out. It was a busy day. 

My Little Frog

Jack is a little frog. He loves the water. But this is one of our favorite things that he does when he is in the tub. He thinks he is soooo funny. I love this kid so much!

Happy Mothers Day!

I decided that since it was mother's day, I would dress Jack how I wanted. Isn't he the cutest thing ever! Tony was able to attend part of church today. He had to wear a mask for the hour, but he enjoyed seeing the primary kids sing. 

Alive and Kicking!

Yesterday marked one year from when we found out about Tony's cancer. Well, we are happy to say that his is still alive and "kicking." Tony is starting to get back some of his energy (at least enough to do a running kick. I thought this was super impressive).

I decided to give it a whirl.

Jack wanted a shot at it too.

Needless to say, at the end of this photo shoot, both boys were worn out. Also, a special shout out to the Nelson's who gave us this bean bag. It is a favorite in our household. 

The Park with Daddy

We went to the park today (after the sun was low enough for the whole park to be shaded). It was beautiful weather (considering according to the forecast it was supposed to be raining on us). We got the whole park all to ourselves. We had a really good time. 

Jack especially likes this toy at the playground. When his isn't distracted by the wind, or a passing dog, or a bird......he is really really good at bouncing on this contraption. 

Jack is starting to be able to communicate with us more. He says "more" in sign language when he is hungry. We taught him to raise both arms over his head to say "all done." He knows how to use the words "ow" and "uh-oh" in the right circumstances. When he wants to go outside he grabs his shoes and brings them to me. (or my shoes, or Tony's shoes, or one of each). If he can't find any shoes he bangs on the closet door. He knows when we are going to zumba, because he sees my Trader Joes bag that holds all my zumba stuff. He will go get his shoes and wait by the door. If I tell him it's time to take a bath, he runs for the bathroom and starts putting toys in the tub. I also put a few of his snacks down on a shelf on his level. Then when he is hungry, he can bring me the box that he wants. He has really enjoyed his newfound communication. He also picks out one half of his outfit everyday. (I let him pick his pants, and then I match something to them. I am still kind of a control freak about his clothes). He is growing up so fast and we are so proud of him. What a great kid!

Updates on Tony

Tony's appetite has been coming back. He especially enjoys eating a whole totinos pizza for most meals. Yesterday was his second appointment for the IGG (the part of the immune system that remembers past illnesses needs to be helped along because the prograph is suppressing it). He has one more appointment next month, and then the doctors say he should be able to get his groshong out. (the port that is in his chest). We are so excited. It has been kind of annoying for him to have to cover it in plastic every time he showers. He is looking forward to being able to swim relatively soon. Hooray! They are also going to start taking him off of the pro graph(immunosuppressant) starting next month. It usually takes about 3 months to fully wean someone off of them (to make the risk of GVH (graft vs. host) smaller). This was all very good news. He may also be able to travel starting late summer. We are crossing our fingers, but it really looks like it's truly all up from here!

Worth a Thousand Words

If a picture is worth a thousand words, this is the one that best describes my Jack. We were at the playground today with a few people from our ward. A 9 year old from our ward was playing with him, and I was chatting. I looked up to see him at the top of the slide, and her at the bottom. My first thought as I ran over was: "There is no way a baby would volunteer to go down a slide by themselves." and I wasn't super worried. But then he did. In an instant, he was smiling at the bottom of the slide, like it was no big deal. This is my son. He jumps into any adventure head first. 

He tried the slide sitting down as well. He continued climbing back up the stairs to the top and sliding down for a good 30 minutes. I wish I would have had my camera with me (this picture is from my cellphone). And don't worry. After the first slide experience, I was supervising the rest of them. (The funniest part about this picture is that he had been going down the right side (it was dry), he suddenly launched down the left side, and I say launch because it was super wet. He was going pretty fast. (I promise I caught him at the bottom). 

Always on the Move

We love spending so much time together at home. It's only noon and already we have had so much fun today. We got some fun videos. If you want to watch them, just click on the 2 links below:

Attack of Daddy's Foot

Always on the Move

And Jack got his first big slice of watermelon. Needless to say, he is definitely my son. He loves his watermelon. He completely devoured it. 

Million Dollar Man

Tony has been able to go on more walks with us, play with Jack, and eat a whole lot more. He isn't as nauseous, and doesn't have headaches quite as frequently. Little bit by little bit, he is getting better. It is so exciting for us.

We did an interesting thing today. Saturday will mark 1 year since we found out about his Leukemia. We decided to go through and total what this past year would have cost us without insurance. So....drum roll please....for just Tony's medical expenses in the past year we would have owed:

$1,050,432.22
I always knew that Tony was worth a million bucks. I'm just glad that I don't have to pay that price tag, but I still get to keep him. 

Thank you thank you thank you insurance! For anyone that is contemplating not having insurance, even for a short while, think of us. Tony was only 26 years old when he was diagnosed. Of the people that are diagnosed with his particular leukemia (Mylodysplastic Syndrome), only 0.02% of them are under 40. In other words, the chances were very slim that someone his age would have MDS, and yet, he did. So please make sure that you have insurance because you really never know. 

We have witnessed so many incredible miracles in the past year and are so grateful for the lives we have been blessed with. We have soooo many wonderful friends and family members that have truly given us the support that we needed to stand, even when the weight of it all seemed too much to bear. We have also been so grateful for the time that we have gotten to spend together as a family. Very few babies get to spend this much time with their Daddy. And very few wives get to spend so much time with their hubbies. This has definitely strengthened our relationship. 

More than anything, this past year has been an adventure that we will never forget. 

We are just now beginning to be able to plan for the future. It has been kind of overwhelming because for the past year, we were told not to plan a single thing. Day by day for the Rorings. But as Tony gets stronger, we can start to think about what the next few years may hold.

I am so grateful to be able to hug Tony whenever I want. I was always so positive that I wouldn't lose him because I couldn't even bear to think about that possibility. And he is such a tough son of a gun, we all knew he would be alright in the end. And he is proving that every day.

I love you Anthony Roring, my million dollar man.

Giddy Up Daddy!

Tony has been getting more and more energy and has been able to play with Jack more. Jack absolutely loves playing with his dad. No one can get Jack to laugh as hard as his daddy can. This is his new favorite thing with his dad. 

Giddy up Daddy!

Click on the link to see an awesome video of my boys.

Happy Birthday Ryan

We were so excited to get to see Ryan and Kate today. It was Ryan's 40th birthday and his awesome wife surprised him by flying him out here.

I got to make the birthday cake, and Jack decided to help (I didn't even realize he was in the kitchen with me. I turned around and he had taken the measuring cup out of the bucket of flour, and made quite a mess of himself and the kitchen).

Here he is wiping his mouth off with his shirt. 

Happy Birthday Ryan! You rock!

We had such a good time visiting tonight. We sure love these guys. They are the definition of awesome!