Day 123, March 6-13 (catch up)

Sunday, March 13, 

Finally getting this posted.  Good to be back with the family.  Got here in time to watch Hunter's little league game.  Sierra and Megan had a great time with the church ski trip.  They went to Kirkwood Ski Resort close to Lake Tahoe.  About 30 kids went and filled the Black's lodge.  It was a good time.

Saturday, March 12, Day 123

Jason here. On my way back to Calif after a good week of work in Oregon.  I will be in Calif this next week, but brought enough tax work with me to stay very busy.  The office I am using in Calif is working out great.

 

Sierra had her biopsy last week.  Three months ago she had a 1A rejection with zero being prefect and 4 being the worse.  This biopsy she got a 1B with slightly elevated heart pressures. Grrrrr.  NOT what we were wanting.  I guess that's why Stacy and I haven’t posted the results for a few days.  It’s not fun to share downer news.  Dr’s didn’t say much, they want to see her again in clinic in 2 weeks and rebiopsy in 1 month. No changes to meds or treatments for now.  Other than that, we keep on goin’. 

Sierra and Megan went skiing with the ward church group Friday and Saturday (today).  They better be having a good time, (but not too good). They will be home tonight.   Megan’s basketball season is over. The team lost in the first round of the NorCal regionals. It was a good experience for her to practice with the big dogs.  I guess she got in for the last 2.1 seconds of the game.

Gage, Lindsey and Hunter are all doing great.  Lindsey has had some really good uplifting experiences with some new friends from school.  That has really lifted her spirits.  Hunter has a baseball game today at 11, I should be to Calif in time to see the game. 

Couple of other items to mention.

1)  They are reshowing the dateline special this Sunday, March 13.  Not sure when so we will need to check our local listings.  We have received nothing but good uplifting comments from that show from people all over the country.

2    2)  We had some special wrist bands made for Gage.  It was selfish, but I wanted one for myself.  I still wear, and will continue to wear Sierra and Lindsey’s bands so I needed one for Mr. Aurelius. It is blue and white camo with ‘Gage Aurelius Man-of-Steel’ engraved on it.  I didn’t get them for a fund raiser or to get attention, it was just something I needed to do.  Having said that, if anyone wants one, contact my wonderful and dear mother in Oregon.

3        3)  Yes I am still growing out my hair, and will until after Gage’s transplant. It’s beginning to get a bit out of control, but the kids are still glad I didn’t do the nasty chin hair thing.

\     4)    Hunter had his annual echo done. Thank goodness there is nothing to report. Everything looks perfect.  They will check him again in one year and will continue to check annually indefinitely.  Not sure when Megan’s echo will be, but soon.

     It’s a strange experience to be in Oregon, our home, knowing our family is not there and will not be there for months to come.  Not sure what to do with the garden, flower beds, and all these piles of ‘Stuff’ I am bring back from Calif.  Each trip home I bring a full suitcase of ‘stuff’.  And the ‘stuff’ is piling up! I would love to stay in Calif and let my wonderful and dear wife take a crack at it.

 

Just to put things in perspective, we have seen and continue to see some really tough situations at the RMH / hospital.  There are kids that have not faired as well as ours and have turned for the worse.  Very sad situations.  We thank our Heavenly Father every day for the good health and strength of our kids and for the experiences and opportunities they are getting.  And I am NOT just saying that, I mean it.

Jason

  

 Lindsey's band concert from a few days ago.  She is the cute little one with a saxaphone. 

 Hunter's little league.

 Couple of pictures from Megan's game in Santa Cruz

If you really want to keep reading about our exciting life...

(Week earlier, but never got posted)

Sunday, March 6

Jason here, once again coming at you from somewhere above Nevada in route to home.  Gage is doing absolutely great right now.  The vad seems to be working.  The clinic appointments, according to Stacy are pretty boring, with nothing to report.  He still has weekly checkups and blood draws.  He has physical therapy every two weeks, and good ole school every day.  As of today, he really is in a ‘waiting’ for a heart mode.  We pray for the the donor family every day because they will need all the prayers we can muster when the ‘day’ arrives, whenever that may be.

Having said that, our days are consumed with life issues.  I am very busy at the office, whether that be in the Oregon office or my temporary Palo Alto office.  I brought enough work with me to stay very busy, but now it time to get back to Oregon to meet with clients and be there.  I plan on being in Oregon for this week, then flying back to Calif on Saturday to spend a week there.  I plan on doing this routine for the rest of tax season, Gage permitting.

Hunter had his first baseball game yesterday.  They were beat 4-2, but hunter had a great game.  He threw out a runner at second, and had a good hit on his first pitch up to bat.  This baseball is a good thing for him.  Stacy met with teachers the other day, and they said he is fitting in well. 

Lindsey is doing okay.  She has some good friends she likes to hang out with, but still misses her friends in Oregon.  She is still struggling in school.  Sometimes Stacy and I are at a loss on how to help her.  We have talked to other Calif parents who have said that the transition to a large middle school and the Calif curriculum can be very tough on 6^th graders.   She has her first band concert this week, and some fun field trips coming up. We are finding some extracurricular activity for her, but for some reason are not making the right connections.  We have some good leads for this week.

Sierra in many ways is in the same boat as Lindsey.  PALY high school is very challenging for her.  Sometimes, just sometimes she has to think and that can be uncomfortable.   She has developed some good friendships and is just a dang good kid.  

At night when all 5 kids are ‘trying’ to go to sleep, Sierra, Lindsey and Gage get talking and giggling.  It gets pretty exciting in there as Megan and Hunter want to go to sleep.  Finally Stacy or I have to give the ultimatum, “NOT ANOTHER WORD!   I WANT SILENCE IN HERE” Sometimes that works but most of the time it happens on its own time.

Megan has had a great experience practicing with the varsity girls basketball team.  They had two games this week in the CCS (Central Coast Section) playoffs.  That would be like our districts back home.  They got to play the final game in the Golden State Warriors D-League stadium in Santa Cruz.  It was a great experience.  Both games they were able to get up by 15+ points which gave Megan the chance to go in for the last minute of the game.  This team she is on is really good with a deep bench.  Megan is really enjoying practicing with the team.  Since they won the CCS title, they now move on to the NorCal regional playoffs.  Stand by for that.  Not sure where or when the next game is. 

Well there is your weekly update.  I know there is nothing exciting, it’s just our little life.  Someday, hopefully soon, we will have ‘the’ exciting post to share, but not yet.

Till next time,

Jason