First Day of First Grade.....

We have a first grader!   James officially began grammar school on Wednesday morning.  Jay, Katie and I all climbed in the big blue truck and drove James to St. Giles for his first day of school!  He was super excited to meet his teacher, see his classroom and make new friends.  It was a half day, a good way to "warm up" to school.  James had to be in uniform the first day, complete with dress shoes and socks. 

James lined up by his classroom door, with his red backpack, and waited patiently for his teacher to open the door.  He then waited outside his classroom to be led in by his teacher.  James gave us a happy wave good-bye and off he went.  My eyes teared up, but I kept it together.  Last year, all I wanted to do was walk my first born into kindergarten, and I did, sick as a dog and wearing my wig.  This year, I walked him in feeling pretty good, and with my own (albeit short) hair.  I vow to do everything I can to make sure I walk my babies in to their classroom each year.  When I sat through chemo, radiation, and tests, I would envision myself doing all the things that are important to me in the future.  Walking my kids into their first day of school, taking Katie and James to buy their first communion outfits, watching them graduate from 8th grade, dropping them off at the mall or the movies with their friends, drivers ed, getting their drivers license, and all the other milestones I want to see.  I also envisioned the "mom, your embarrassing me," and of course the tried and true "I hate you, I wish you weren't my mom" followed by the bedroom door slam that all moms seem to experience....

After we dropped James off, the three of us went over to the welcome back coffee the PTO put on and visited with so many friends.  I was wiped out, but happy to attend. 

Just Katie and I went to pick James up, as Jay went back to work, after a successful first day.  Here are the pictures....

                                                                 Ready to go to school....

                       Love Katie in this picture... can't you just hear her saying "cheese!"

                                                                       In line.............

                                                           His classroom..........

                                         The obligatory picture in front of the mailbox..........

My first day of 1st grade, 1982.....

James' Birthday Day...

Hello to all,

Yes, James is officially 6.  He had a very fun day.  We capped the after noon with a walk to Austin Gardens with Kari and Katie.  The bulk of the day was spent at the Illinois Railway Museum.  James and I have been going there since he was very young.  He has always really liked it. 

It was Thomas the Tank Engine day at the IRM so it was busier than normal.  Even with the extra crowds, the kids had fun.  We saw a lot of trains, rode a street car and took the Thomas train around the park.  A good time was had by all. 

Here are some of the highlights from the day. 

Happy Birthday James!!!!

My baby boy is 6 today!

My handsome, good hearted, first born is turning 6 today!  I cannot believe it!  He brings so much to our lives, and we are so proud of him.  He has an inquisitive, curious, and scientific nature.  He can put anything together, likes to invent things, and loves riding his bike and playing outdoors.  He can spend hours catching bugs, digging in the dirt, building sandcastles and exploring the outdoors.  He is stubborn, loyal and protective of his sister and family.  He is honest, sometimes brutally, and sensitive.  He is smart, sometimes too smart for his own good. 

He is going to first grade on Wednesday.  Where has the time gone?  Here are some of my favorite pictures of my sweet boy. 

Here is a picture of him minutes after birth.  I love this picture because you can totally see him and his personality.  James was born early in the morning on the 21st, and he came out wide awake and ready to party!  He is a night owl, just like his mommy,.  All of the nurses were commenting how they'd never seen such a wide awake and alert newborn.  Can't you just see the mischievous streak?!?!

This is another one of my favorites.... James "adjusting" the side mirror of my dad's 57 corvette.  James seems to have inherited the car gene from the Krupa side.  He loves "crusin" and going to car shows.  He can spend hours at work with Jay working on the ISIS 55 Ford

Here is James in the rocking chair that belonged first to my mom, then me and my brother, and now James and Katie...

James at his favorite place, the park with the green grass...

James being the best big brother.....

James starting preschool at 3 years old....

Building castles on the beach in Saugatuck, MI....

James and his 6th birthday present.... a new bike!

Here's to another fun filled year James!!!!!
WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH! 

Update

Thank you for all the prayers and well wishes. The surgery went well, no complications and after some time in post-op and recovery, I was home and in my bed watching people rise from the dead in pine valley (all my children). The pain is magnageable with Tylenol and nothing else. All in all, I feel pretty good, and am SO GLAD that this is all the surgeries that I should need for a while. I still have a week of no driving, and can't lift anything over 10 pounds for a month. Other then that, I should be able to get back to normal here soon.

Kari's out of surgery...

Okay Folks,

I just spoke with Dr. Vandevender, Kari's out of surgery.  Everything went well with no issues.  All in, it was less than an hour. 

I'll keep you all up to date over the course of the day.

Jay

At Loyola, Again...

Good morning to all,

We arrived at Loyola at about 5:45 this morning.  Kari is doing well and is in good spirits.  This is her 4th surgery in 18 months.  She's just wants this to be over. 

They got her set up on her IV and were working through a few different options on pain management for her.  She has had issues with morphine post-op so they will be trying something different this time.  I just left her in pre-op.  The nurse will come down to talk to me once they start.  From there, Dr. Vandevender will come to talk to us after surgery.

I'll keep you all up to date as we make it through the day. 

Jay

And now we return you to your regular scheduled programming....

So, after a super fun weekend, jam packed with activity, I am today facing the reality that I am back to dealing with this cancer journey.  I had check up appointments with my oncologist and radiation oncologist last week.  All were good.  My white cell count is still a little low, but my skin has healed nicely from radiation and my vitamin D levels are now normal, so that is good. 

This weekend was filled with activity.  On Friday my mom and I took the kids to Lake Geneva for the day.  We went on the ice cream social boat ride around the lake, and took a walk along the lake shore as well.  It was very enjoyable, a beautiful day too! On Friday night my mom and dad, Jay and James all went to the White Sox game.  My dad got awesome seats, row 7, right behind 1st base.  They had a good time.  On Saturday I got things ready for James and Katie's birthday party and then my brother game me two tickets to the Bears preseason game.  I decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to take James to his first Bears game!  We had fun there too!  Then, on Sunday we had the kids party in the park.  They had fun even though things started out a bit wet and cool.  All turned out well and by midafternoon, it was beautiful.  Sunday night I got to meet up with some book club friends to watch The Help and it was a wonderful movie.  So good!  

Tomorrow I am scheduled for my reconstruction surgery.  They will be removing the expanders and putting in the implants.  I will probably spend one night in the hospital and then come come to rest for a few days.  Driving and lifting restrictions again for a few weeks, and then hopefully we will resume back to normal.  I am grateful that my mom is going to help out again, and take care of me and the kids. 

I am crossing the finish line of this journey.  Please say a prayer for all of us tomorrow.  Jay promises to update the blog after the surgery, so please check back tomorrow for updates.  Thanks! 

Happy Birthday to my Wife...

Today is Kari's 35th birthday and I want to wish her a happy day. 

The past year and half have been awful for her but she has fought cancer with strength and grace.  She has one rough patch coming up with a surgery and a few weeks of recovery.  From there, it is only up and up with more celebrations and many more birthdays. 

The kids and I love you very much.  Enjoy your day!