5 Years Ago Today (Warning: REALLY LONG POST)

You can NOT prepare for the phone call I got 5 years ago this afternoon. It was a Tuesday. I was supposed to be tending my friends kids (they were relaxing in Hawaii and I was going to watch their kids for a day). And then I got 3 of the hardest phone calls of my life.

CANCER - and not just cancer but leukemia. I thought that if Kenyon had leukemia it meant he only had months to live. I had no idea what the treatment options were or what could happen.

But here we are 5 years out and I think we are doing pretty good. Finally. But what a road.

Just for posterity sake and since I didn't blog in the spring of 2007....I will tell a little more of the story. If you are bored - move on.  I'll never know.

In the fall of 2006, Kenyon first started to notice that he was really tired. But he had just finished his MBA, he was in the bishopric in our ward and we had 3 little kids. Of course he was tired. By December he had a lump or knot in his side and he had a nagging cough. Not a terrible cough but it bugged. His brother (an internal medicine doc) suggested that it could be acid reflux and to take an over the counter med. It seemed to work a little bit to help the cough but the knot was getting bigger. On April 28th at a wedding for a nephew he asked his brother to look at his side. I was in a REALLY bad mood that day (not the fault of the bride and groom - the wedding was amazing) and anxious to get the kids home so as I was leaving and his brother pulled me aside and said "I really want to look at him in my office. You make sure he comes up to see me (in Logan)." I had a sense right then that this was serious but no idea it was cancer serious.

So 3 days later on a Tuesday morning he decided to go up and I decided not to go with him because I didn't want to believe it would be that big a deal. And I was tending kids. :)

A few hours later...his brother called me and said that I needed to meet him and Kenyon at St. Marks hospital. All that he would tell me is that there was something wrong with the blood work and he wanted the docs at St. Marks to check him out. A little later I got the WORST call from Kenyon and he said that ugly Leukemia word. They already knew that is what it was but we didn't know what kind or what stage.

Initially it looked like he would take an expensive oral medication for the rest of his life and that would keep the leukemia under control. Four years ago next week we learned that he was too advanced to continue taking that med and that he needed a bone marrow transplant. (But by then I was already pregnant with Quinn and that was a little miracle itself). 

Here is the post from that day. You will notice in that post that I thought we were looking a hard year and then it would be over. Oops. Little did we know it would be 4 years +.

I am so grateful to be in this place and to have made it through it. And most importantly grateful that Kenyon has made it through it all. He is tough. And he doesn't complain much, which is really nice, cuz I do. Sorry. And I am so grateful for so much support, help, love and prayers throughout the endless years (at least it probably seemed that way).

And as some dear friends of ours prepare to be admitted to the hospital for their son's transplant, I am so grateful that I know the Lord answers prayers and will help and strengthen them just as He has done for us. They have already been fighting for a long, long time. And this is an amazing medical miracle - it is a crappy process but it can work. And will for Jake.

PS - You can always go to marrow.org and sign-up to be a donor. You could save a life. For real. Because we are so grateful for all of his siblings being so willing but especially to his brother, Brett - who literally saved his life.

2 Boys on a Great Day

Aren't these some of the cutest girls ever? They were good sports with all the attention on the boys.



Gavin was baptized and Teague received the Aaronic Priesthood on Saturday, March 24th.


We love Great-Grandma Metcalf. She is such a loving grandma and a good sport to make it out to these important events. We love having her be with us.


The boys and their grandpas.


Isn't this the most hideous picture of me? Don't answer. There are probably worse but really? Everyone in my family is so cute and then I had to ruin the picture. But I am sure grateful for their efforts to come and support us.

And I am grateful for all the other friends and family who came. I am so lame and didn't get my camera out to take pictures of Gavin and Teague with all the great people who came. But we appreciate it. :)

It was a great day.

Easter

Grandma Porter hosted her annual Easter Egg hunt. Quinn was thrilled.




Elise found the $10 silver egg.




The Easter bunny hides our baskets. Quinn discovered hers behind some pillows. When she found her basket she kept saying, "Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness." So much excitement.


Are Easter Sunday pictures a joke for everyone? Hello cooler in the picture? Squinting Eyes? Late for church? A total rush (except not true for my niece-in-law who seems to have the best Sunday pictures).


But Easter dinner was a success. I think. I tried this new salmon recipe that I found on Pinterest. Winner.
And of course we had our traditional bunny rolls.

And PS - we are doing no sugar (meaning - cookies, candy, soda, anything classified as treats/desserts) this month. Everyone was willingly on board. Such a great challenge. We got Easter* off and we sure enjoyed the treats but none of us ate nearly as much as we thought we would. Gavin was still trying to get a few last bites of a peep in before bedtime but couldn't stand another bite. I was most sad this morning when I couldn't have a leftover bunny roll.

Tonight for dessert - pineapple. And we were all totally happy. It can be done.

*We get one day off a week - Sunday.

Elise as Wendy in Peter Pan

Elise's 4th grade class recently put on a little production of Peter Pan. They worked so hard and Elise was so excited to be Wendy (a part she fits PERFECTLY). But I didn't realize it was a big deal and didn't know about the costume until 2 nights before. Quick call to Kenyon's super talented seamstress mom and within hours - a perfect Wendy costume at my door. THANK YOU!



With Peter Pan

Come Back!

My sister came to town with her kids. I wish she would move here. And I wish I were better at taking pictures. I was so busy that I never got my camera out to document the fun cousin time. Except one.

But there was lots of fun. All the girls sleeping on the floor. Endless Barbies. Lots of jumping on the trampoline. Bedtime stories with Grandma or Grandpa (the are amazing story tellers and the kids live for it). And my favorite was having this adorable little toddler wander around my house. I really wanted to keep her for another week or forever. Plus we ate yummy food. Had fun outings (go see City Creek and the Utah Natural History Museum). And I loved having some extra hands around and late night chats with an Izze.

But they had to leave. It really would be better if they could move down the street.

And seriously, maybe we should move out to a ranch somewhere. These boys should be cowboys for real.

Collecting

Did any of you have sticker collections when you were younger? It probably dates me. This was the thing to do when I was in 3rd/4th grade. And it was a big deal.

I would save my money and go to Ostroms (a little drug store in Kenmore, WA) and I would buy Mrs. Grossman's and Toots stickers. It was such a big deal.

I would keep the stickers in one of those old photo albums that had sticky pages and you would pull back the plastic cover. Nice.

Well, I was cleaning out my storage rooms and found the collection.

The kids LOVED it!

This Can't Be Happening

Can my firstborn really turn 12? I am really not ready for this. But it has happened. He is thrilled. And I am proud of him. He is a great kid. I have loved looking through pictures of him over the past 12 years. Sadly we didn't have a digital camera from the beginning so the pictures of the little squish are limited. He was a chunkly little baby when we lived in London. I got a lot of attention caring or pushing him around England. I think it took a lot of self-control for complete strangers to not squish his cheeks. One lady on the train to Edinburgh said, "Ah is this a wee lad or a wee lassy?" "Ah a wee laddy."

This is a big year. We have been studying and preparing for him to receive the Aaronic Priesthood. It is a big deal and it requires a testimony of Jesus Christ and a worthiness to serve the Lord. He faithfully reads his scriptures every day and he really tries hard to always choose the right. I am kind of dying that he starts going to Young Men's and Jr. High. Yikes.
 

Things we LOVE about W. Teague Porter

1. Happy - Don't you love his dimple?
2. He loves his cousins (and the rest of the family but if he could pick - I think the cousins would win every time)
3. Elise said she loves that he is so competitive - it makes him good at what he does.
4. He loves my cooking. He is pretty excited about most things I make. Today I made him breakfast casserole. May have been his favorite part of the day.
5. He loves his friends and his a good friend - loyal and patient. He gets so excited for his friends and things they are doing.
6. Great student. He could work on his penmanship but he definitely got Kenyon's brain. He can remember everything.
7. He is great at the piano. He doesn't always love it but he has a natural ability and I love it when he plays. Especially because he doesn't need my help anymore. Hallelujah!
8. Teague is turning into quite the little babysitter. I am so grateful that I can trust him. He is especially good with Quinn.
9. He loves to read. He is reading so many books, so fast that we can't keep up with him. Such a great habit.
10. He is sensitive. Sometimes too much :) but really it is sweet to see him be so thoughtful and concerned about those around him.
11. He is a good athlete. I am so excited that he is figuring out his talents. He is really love the 3 tri sports and it is so fun to watch.
12. We love that he is our oldest. He is setting such a good example for the family to follow.

nova granola: Guest Post: Food I Love//Annie

Head on over to Nova Granola. I did a guest post today. Jane has invited her friends/family to share their favorite foods. What she left out of my post was that my favorite food might be chocolate covered cinnamon bears or chocolate chip cookie dough. But since that wasn't really what she was looking for I came up with something else.

Smoothies are one of our favorite things about the morning. The kids are pretty excited about the different combos I come up with and I am excited that they have left for school with a serving of veggie, fruit, protein and some omega 3s.

nova granola: Guest Post: Food I Love//Annie

PS - Another favorite food - granola. You should all buy and love Nova Granola. I particularly love the citrus.

14 Years!

Elise worked SO hard on this banner all morning. She cut out all those letters free hand. I love that she wanted to make this day a big deal. She kept trying to give Kenyon hints all month long. And she felt really bad that our anniversary fell on the day of a big tournament because she knew we would be there for her instead. But we didn't mind. (Plus her team fought hard for 1st place and we wouldn't want to miss that. They played 4 games today and then she went straight to volleyball practice. That girl is TOUGH).


This morning at breakfast, I told the kids the story of our meeting and then the story of our wedding. I guess I haven't ever told them. It was so fun.

It has been 14 years. It seems kind of crazy that it has been that long. And sadly 1/3rd of it, Kenyon hasn't felt that great (some times are worse than others). But hopefully the next 14 years we will do a little better in the health department. :) Maybe?

To celebrate 14 years - here are 14 great things about Kenyon. I am so grateful he married me.

1 - Kenyon is a great husband and father (in spite of not always feeling well).
2 - We are especially grateful for his job and his amazing work ethic. He works so many long, hard hours to provide for us.
3 - Patience and long-suffering.
4 - Worth and righteous priesthood holder. He spoke last night at our Priesthood Preview (can you believe Teague is turning 12 soon. Yikes) and he did a great job.
5 - Good sport and good at sports and helpful in the kids sports
6 - A kid at heart - always up for a game or getting on the floor and playing with the kids. And on good days - even up for a chase with the kids - their all time favorite.
7 - Super smart. He knows and remembers everything (well the memory isn't what it used to be but it is still pretty impressive).
8 - Not picky and always grateful for my meals.
9 - Financially conservative - despite all my efforts to ruin that - not on purpose though
10 - Loves family - all his siblings and mine and parents
11 - Great willingness to serve anyone - once he realizes what they need or how he can help, he will do it
12 - Calm - which is a much needed characteristic around me
13 - Funny - if you can get him to say anything - it is either very wise or hilarious
14 -Good looking - of course I think that. (I wasn't crazy about the Will Ferrell look he had for a while but it has passed an all is well).

Funny things my children say

Gavin asked me today if I liked his Valentine card. Of course, I do. Then he said, "you know I was trying to make an "M" but it was kind of hard. And same for Dad. Then I thought "M" means amazing (?) and "D" means destiny. So when you put your cards together you two are amazing destiny."

Deep thoughts by Gavin. That kid makes me smile every day (and he can drive me to insanity too).

Yesterday morning (I wasn't at the table), Kenyon said to the kids that he was taking me out to dinner and asked Teague if he would tend.

Later in the day Teague asked if he could go to a friend's house. I said, "Sure just be back at 5:45 because we are going to dinner."

He said (laughing), "I know. Dad told us this morning. And before I could even think I said I would babysit for free. But I didn't really mean it. I really need the money and I don't know why it came out."

So funny.

Last week Teague and Elise each had 4 teeth pulled. During dinner Teague made this face and said, "Is my smile normal?"

Happy Valentine's Day!

Our Heart Attack wall (to replace our Christmas card wall). We copied the idea from 71 Toes. Don't you love what the kids wrote? "Mom is a good cooker." Love it.

Don't you love this Valentine from Gavin? He worked so hard on it. Remember when you thought giving your mom some money was a great gift? He was pretty sure giving me 50 cents was a perfect gift.

And OH MY these marshmallows were good. And it does calm sibling rivalry. Magic.

PS - I love this blog - Read this post and more importantly listen to this radio program - the blog authors are talking about Choosing Happiness. Working on that idea. I love it but not there yet.

The Solution to Sibling Rivalry

Don't you want to know?

For Family Home Evening, I read an article from the Friend magazine (our go to source for FHE lessons). It is a short little article where the magazine asks a question and readers can write in and give their ideas.

And it was the perfect question for our children. "My brother and I argue a lot. I want to be nicer, but it's hard. What are some things I can do to stop fighting."

So I read through the answers and then we talked about which one they liked best or if they had a different ideas. Quinn doesn't like to be left out. And most of the time, she has been listening and has a pretty good answer.

Tonight her answer to sibling rivalry was brilliant.

Quinn (said with lots of hand motions): "I know. I know. Just calm down. And then eat marshmallows." For real she said that. We all died.

And I totally agree. And if you haven't had homemade marshmallows - you should.

Check out Our Best Bites. 
Or this one. I have it on good authority that nothing beats it.

The Top Ten Party

2012-02-05 2012, a photo by PorterFam98 on Flickr.

Elise wanted a friend party this year. I was kind of dragging my feet on it. So much work. But man was it worth it.

What a darling group of friends*. They were happy, friendly, interested, excited, funny, helpful, and smiley all night long. They thought every part of the party was great (or at least they acted like it).

Elise turned 10 so we picked her 10 favorite things and built a party around it.

Late night crafts and movie, lots of treats and snacks**, lots of blue, fun music (wish I had video of the girls dancing and posing), presents, photo booth, and a little soccer (well in the form of pin the soccer on Elise's head). 
*I am so so grateful that Elise is blessed with so many wonderful friends. Too many. I made her narrow her list down to a more manageable size. So many great girls her age. They are smart, talented in many different ways, cute, and good. I love it. Probably because their moms are all the same way. I'm so lucky.
**These girls must be growing. I popped 10 bags of popcorn, sliced 8 apples, ice cream sundaes, cupcakes, 2 bags of licorice, jars of other assorted candies, and drinks. There was no stopping them.

Leesy Lou is Ten!

We kicked off her birthday a little early with a family dinner on Sunday. She requested Hawaiian Haystacks.For dessert she was very specific. She wanted brownies with white chocolate chips on top and cookies and cream ice cream.Of course having her aunts, Jane and Egan, come make it a perfect night for her. They brought sweet gifts too. And of course on the morning of her birthday - only crepes will make this birthday girl happy with LOTS of "whooped" cream.

We love Elise. She is super excited to have a party this year. Pictures to come.

1 - Elise has a great smile.
2 - She LOVES soccer and she works really hard at it. And she is very committed to her team.
3 - Elise loves to sing. All the time. But sadly, singing well does not come naturally to her although she is improving. We still love to hear her.
4 - Elise is a loyal friend. She loves to be with them and she likes to have everyone included.
5 - Elise loves Quinn. She loves her brothers too but she believes that she was meant to have Quinn as her sister. She is a very good babysitter too.
6 - Elise is very independent. She likes to make her own decisions and takes her time to do her own thing. Since she was small she has insisted on doing her own hair and picking her own clothes. She really doesn't want me to be involved. Should I be offended?
7 - She LOVES to read and is constantly devouring a book in her room.
8 - She loves being with extended family. It is a regular thing for her to beg to go on a trip to visit grandparents or cousins.
9 - Elise loves to be creative.
10 - Elise loves the Gospel and choosing the right. She is a great example to us.

Book Club 2012

I love my book club. All of us lived in London together a long time ago. While our husbands worked a gazillion hours a week, we played and explored.

Now we get together once a month and discuss our books and lots of other stuff too.

We just picked our books for the year and I am so excited. Lots of variety. But my list of books on Goodreads is always growing, so I hope to read a few more besides these. The only way I can really do it is by checking out the audio book from the library and listening to them when I work out or drive around.

February - Moloka'i by Alan Brennet

March - To Mormons with Love by Chrisy Ross

April - The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen

May - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs -  

June - Divergent by Veronica Roth - Young Adult fiction.

August - Room by Emma Donoghue -  

September - How to Love an American Man by Kristine Gasbarre

October - The Survivor's Club by Ben Sherwood 

November - Pick your own Adventure 

Read a parenting, marriage, nutrition (self-help type) book and report to group

First Indoor Tri

Teague has been very interested in doing a tri ever since he saw Egan do the Utah Half Ironman. Then he saw this awesome video called Dayton's Legs. You should watch it with your kids even if they don't want to do a tri.
So he has been running (thanks to xcountry) and he is on a local swim team. And he has been training on the indoor spin bike as well. So he was ready for his first indoor tri.
The race was for kids 8-12. The challenge: a 50 yd swim, 8 mile bike, 1 mile run. We knew he could do it and those distances were probably too easy but it was a good way to start.
Teague is DETERMINED. And he is competitive. He wanted to win BAD.
His main competition was a 10 year old kid who has done 7 triathlons.
HE WON. He beat him by about 15 seconds.
It was awesome to watch him work so hard with that cute smile on this face the whole time. He loved every minute of it.
He wants to jump straight to an Ironman but I think we will work up to that. :)

Wall O Friends

I love Christmas Cards. And I love our friends and family. We look forward to adding to our wall all month long.

And I just hate to take it down. I get kind of sick of Christmas decorations and can't wait to pull the house back together (sort of). But the wall o friends - I could leave that up all year. I love seeing all these great cards, clever thoughts, pictures of wonderful families, great examples, and so much support. Thanks.

But I finally decided it was time to let it go. Till next year...

8 is Great!

Gavin is Great! And he is excited about being 8!
He can't wait for his baptism (which we are waiting a little longer for but it will be worth it).
This might be a first - but for once the one thing he wanted for his birthday was not an office supply or tool.
An ipod Touch. He had to pay for half of it so he has been saving his money and working hard. He was very, very happy that we made it happen for his birthday.

Gavin is easy to love for so many reasons. On the day of his birthday he was the VIP in his 2nd grade class. Each of the kids said something nice about Gavin. Sweetest thing to hear students talk so nicely about your kid. LOVED IT!
1 - So excited and happy about just about anything.
2 - Hard worker (at most things but not reading)
3 - Loves to help and be involved
4 - Loves details
5 - Tenderhearted
6 - overly organized (it doesn't always appear that way in his room but he has a method to his chaos)
7 - Wants to choose the right and wants to help those around him choose the right
8 - Loves to be with family

PS - He requested the oreo like whoopie pies. He did not want cake. I used this recipe. Loved it.

Need a Chore Chart?

So I think I mentioned I am re-thinking chores around here.

My brilliant and talented friend, Jul, created a chore chart. You can customize it and print it. Hooray!

No excuse now. Get those kids working.

PS - If you need a couple good reads on the topic -Read The Entitlement Trap by Richard and Linda Eyre. Quick read with so many good ideas. Even if you don't plan to use their system exactly - it will get you thinking about what we are trying to do as parents.And I liked The Parenting Breakthrough by Merrilee Boyack. I need to look at it again but it had so many good ideas of what kinds of chores and skills children should have at each age. And I always love anything Love and Logic.  

And PPS - I was not looking for any compliments on my last post. But thank you. Just merely trying to remind myself that we can do hard things. I could work on doing hard things with a better attitude for sure.