At the beach in McCall

The family went to McCall for the weekend and enjoyed a quiet weekend with a bit of beach time with Elsinore.  Elsinore loved the water but Grandma and Grandpa loved watching her even more, I think.

The ride home was not an easy one.  There was an accident that caused a traffic jam and we had an additional 2.5 hours in the car.  Mom did great, although she went straight to bed afterwards.  Sitting in a single position isn't easy or fun for any of us, but it was especially tough on her and Elsinore (who passed the time with camp songs and peanuts ;)).

Thursday is Mom's next treatment.  We are all sending energy for this to be a much easier session than the last and don't doubt she'll power through!  

We love you Mom!!! 

Clear of Breast Cancer

Mom met with Dr. Dorn this week to talk about her mammogram results.  (Dr. Dorn is her Breast Cancer Radiation Oncologist).  He, and the entire staff in the radiology/oncology department at St. Luke's are incredibly special and kind people.  All of them greeted Mom with a friendly hello and a hug.  Dr. Dorn, himself, was so nice and happy that I couldn't believe he really was the doctor in such a difficult department.  What amazing and strong people.

This routine check had nothing to do with the ovarian cancer, although Dr. Dorn did acknowledge the difficult year Mom has had with that.  But since the appointment was around her breast cancer he kept the conversation light and positive by letting Mom know the breast cancer is officially gone.  They laughed, acknowledging it was the least of her worries, but, for me,  it really is great news and I feel good about reporting it.

Kelli's 41st

Mom and Dad joined Kelli's 41st Birthday BBQ.  It was a gorgeous evening.  And as cute as Mom and Dad are, I felt this picture was a lot cuter.  Nora & Ryan Nyquist meet Elsinore Korol.

family fun

the wave

Once a month the family gets together for a picnic.  This time we went to Nampa to Fern and Gary's house.  Ival and Joe made an amazing lamb and the rest of the family came together and cooked up other Basque favorites, just for fun.  Mom was able to eat and enjoy the meal and she so appreciated the time she had with everyone. 

Grandma's Up

Grandma had a full day today of playing, eating and making chicken stock so we can have delicious chicken noodle soup next time I bring a cold back from Giraffe Laugh.  It was a really good day.

Little by Little

One of the many amazing things about Mom is how she can rally for an event.  After an incredibly difficult 4 days, she was still able to doll up for Dad's birthday BBQ and enjoy a small dinner with some great people.  The pain did come on again during dinner but she did the right thing and went back to lay down.  The day after proved to be a bit better than the 4 previous which is a good sign that she's on the upswing. 

power of babies

pam and lindsey mattson

twin hair styles

Mom started the new treatments on Friday and it hit her harder than most of the previous.  She spent the weekend in bed with a lot of nausia.  The pain has increased substantially do to the tumors in her liver and she's still trying to understand how to get a handle on that with the number of medications they have perscribed.  As always she is powering through though and finding the energy to be a gracious host.  She was able to join us for dinner last night to visit with Lynette and Lindsey and she thoroughly enjoyed it.  Who doesn't love holding something as adorable as that?  Today, is about rest and relaxation before we host another dinner, tonight, for Dad's birthday.   We'll keep you posted on how it goes.