Preschool Party

Blake had his preschool Christmas party today. They sang some songs and did a little book gift exchange. Blake really loves school. He can't wait for kindergarten this fall!

Haircut

The entire time we were in the hospital with Trey, everyone thought he was a girl! I decided that it was time for him to look like a little boy. He was nervous getting it cut, but he was proud to show off his new style.

Dance Recital

Sydney had her first dance recital on December 8th. She was a little nervous, but once the music started, she did her little dance. Nick's mom stayed at the hospital with Trey so that both Nick and I could attend. Sydney was too cute and we were so proud of her.

Cookies

The kids and I decorated sugar cookies the other day. Blake and Sydney had so much fun. Sydney had more sprinkles than cookies and she liked off her frosting knife after every stoke. Trey just enjoyed eating them.

Visit with Santa!

We took the kids to see Santa the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I am learning that the lines are not nearly as long in November as they are in December. Going early is key. Trey was a little frightened, but we were dancing in the background, so we got a little smile out of him. Blake and Sydney were thrilled. Sydney said that she wanted a computer and Blake said he wanted a little remote controlled race car.

New Family Picture

Here is a look at this year's family picture. You cannot even imagine how hard it is to get all three kids to cooperate. All things considered, we were pleased with the results.

Las Vegas

Nick had a work conference in Las Vegas the last week of November and his mom volunteered to watch our kids so that I could go too. We had such a good time together. We stayed at the Venetian and we went and saw Phantom of the Opera. It was really good. My favorite part was just spending quality alone time with Nick.

Soccer Party

Blake had a great year playing for the Sharks. We had his end of the season party at McDonald's. He really improved this season and he really liked playing goalie.

Going Home!

Great news from Texas! We are going home with Trey today! We are so excited. Now that the doctor's identified his disease, the treatment has made his white blood cell count go down to 22,000 in 48 hours. The doctor was very clear that Trey is still not well. We can just continue his treatment at home. We will be seeing another doctor at Dallas Children's as soon as their is a new appointment. Our doctor also said that Trey will probably qualify for some studies and he recommends that we participate. I guess Still's disease is pretty rare, only 1 out of every 100,000 have the disease. We are just so relieved to have a diagnosis and to get going home! We will keep you updated on his progress!

Trey Update

Well, we are still at the hospital with Trey. His white blood cells up again to 50,000. It seemed like he had to have a major infection some where in his body, but he doesn’t. His body is fighting it’s self. His infectious disease specialist has gotten consults from several other pediatric specialists. We had good news that his bone marrow test proved that he did not have leukemia. His doctor’s have changed their diagnosis to Systemic Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (Still’s disease). His fever was 107 on Friday night and then he didn’t have a fever at all last night. He had his best day since his illness today. His contact isolation was lifted, so we took him for a wagon ride and his appetite has begun to increase. We are crossing our fingers for two more fever free nights and then we may be able to go home! We appreciate everything that you all have done for us and especially for your prayers.

Trey

Our youngest son, Trey, has been in the hospital since December 5th. He has bacterial pyomyositis, which is an infection in his muscles. He is on some of the strongest antibiotics that they have available. We think he got it from the case of Strep throat that the whole family got a little bit ago. He was in a lot of pain, but we have been able to minimize his discomfort with pain meds. We will be in the hospital at least until the 14th. I am spending one night at home so that I can get some sleep. I am a walking zombie, but it is really hard to be away from him. We appreciate all of your prayers and support. We will let you know when we get home. One small highlight of the hospital stay was a visit from some Dallas Cowboys. We got to meet Greg Ellis, and another one. They were so big! They brought Trey a stocking, which was a real lineman's sock. It was so kind of them to visit the sick children.