My Special Gift

The other day out of the blue Jackson decided that he wanted to make me something for my classroom. I was thinking he meant he was going to color a picture for me to hang up. He had much bigger plans. He said that he wanted to make me a bookcase to put all of my special books on at school. I told him that he needed a plan of what it was going to look like before he got started. Sure enough he sat down and sketched out a picture.

Later that day I was busy doing things in the house and Jackson comes in from the garage and tells me to come outside and close my eyes. He had built me a fantastic bookcase with wood he found in the garage (with a lot of help from Todd). He was more than proud of his creation.
The next day Aubrin and Jackson were very busy outside painting it so it would be ready for me to take to work~ it's just perfect!

This can't be happening...

Life as we knew it started to crumble...or so we thought.
About two weeks ago I noticed a lump in Jackson's groin. With Jackson being so tall and thin, everything pokes out of his boney little body, so I dismissed it and really didn't think any thing of it. On Friday evening Jackson was getting into the shower and I noticed the lump and it was much larger and very hard. I was in a panic. The whole weekend I was sick to my stomach about what it could be. Then I thought maybe I was being crazy and it really wasn't anything at all. On Monday morning I called right away to get an appointment at the pediatricians office. We couldn't get in until 10:00am. Once we got to the doctors I was even more anxious. I went by myself because I thought if Todd came we would be making more out of it than we should (or so I told myself.) When the doctor came in the room I explained to him why we were there. He asked me a few general, light questions and then started to examine Jackson. With in seconds the doctors whole mood changed. He became very serious. He took measurements of Jackson lump, yes it was big enough to measure. He then examined Jacksons whole body. While doing this he was asking me questions about his appetite, if Jackson seemed tired, if I noticed any bruises on his body. He very carefully checked out Jackson's neck and under his arms. He then told me that the lump was an enlarger lymph node. He seemed very concerned. He then told me that Jackson needed to go to the lab downstairs to get blood taken and then head to Huron Valley Hospital to get a chest x-ray. I broke at the moment.This was serious. Deep down I really thought he was going to say it was a cyst and it would go away (I really didn't think he would say that, but I was really hoping) When he handed me the paperwork for the blood test and the chest it said STAT. He said that I needed to go right away and that he would talk to me with in two hours. When we were sitting in the lab downstairs Jackson was getting a bit worked up because he knew that they were going to stick a needle in him. I was so proud of him for how brave he was. He took it like a champ. As I sat there waiting my mind was going crazy and then it finally hit me like a ton of bricks...they we checking to see if my baby had cancer. At that moment I started making every deal with God that I possibly could. I also started talking to my Gram and told her that I really needed her to be Jackson's angel and help him through this.
As we headed to the hospital I called Todd and I put him into more of a panic as well. Jackson asked me why we had to go to the hospital and I explained to him that they just needed to check out a couple things to make sure he was healthy for kindergarten. When we got to the hospital Jackson thought it was great that he was there. He said, "This is such a fun adventure mom!" We checked in and then went and sat in the waiting room for Jackson to get his chest x-rays. When it was his turn he was very chatty with the man and asked tons of questions about all of the machines. Trying to get a five year old to stand still for an x-ray is almost impossible. Just as the man got Jackson in place and went behind the wall to take the x-ray, Jackson would turn and say something like, "Do you know I'm going to kindergarten?" or "I have a little sister at home." Finally the man was able to get all of the x-rays he needed. As he took the x-rays every scenario possible was going through my head...I was going to have to explain to Jackson that he was really sick...he wouldn't be going to kindergarten...I was going to have to take a leave from work...it was horrible. At that point I thought we would be free to go home. Oh no, we had to wait in the waiting room for the doctor to look at the x-rays, then he had to call Jackson's doctor and then Jackson's doctor would call me at the hospital. The man said it would take about 20 minutes or so. With in 5 minutes he was back in the waiting room to get me. In my head I was thinking that nothing good happens that fast. He took me in a room and sat me down next to a phone. He told me Jackson's doctor would be calling me with in a few minutes. Then I thought,I'm by myself and I could be getting the worst news of my life. When the phone rang I automatically started to cry. When I talked to the doctor he said that all of Jackson's blood tests came back good and his x-rays were clear...I could finally breathe again. He said that the "most serious" things he was looking for were not detected, although he never used the word cancer. He said that he would call me with in a few days and talk with me more in depth after the pathologist looked more at the results. As I walked out of the room and saw Jackson sitting and playing with his bag of Legos I brought for him, all I could do was sit om the floor and hold him. I called Todd and told him we were on our way home. On our way home Jackson says, "Mom, I know why they had to do all of that to me today. Last week after I went to the bathroom, I didn't wash my hands. Someone must have found out and they needed to make sure I was healthy." I love his way of thinking. When we got home, no words were needed between Todd and I.We just hugged and I cried.
That night we had tickets to the Tigers game. Both Jackson and Aubrin were very excited to go. As we were getting ready I just kept crying, not being able to stop thinking about the day.
The night was great. Aubrin entertained everyone in our section with her dance moves and Jackson impressed people with how he knew all of the players names and the correct terminology of the game.
My perspective on life changed last week. Little things that were important to me or things I complained about are no longer. The thought for one second that our little boy could be sick was enough to change my life forever.
Today I spoke with his doctor again. He said that he and the pathologist have gone over his blood test several times as well as his x-rays. He said they have ruled out Leukemia...he said it. He finally said it. He associated cancer and our son in the same sentence. He said that there was absolutely no sign of it. He went over all of Jackson's blood tests with me. Although that is great news, Jackson still has a very large lymph node. So now we wait. We wait another week and see it if goes down. If not, we will go back in next week to explore more. Today I could function with more ease than I have over the past week. I thank God for the beautiful family that we have.

Our Big Guy Turns 5!

How can it be that Jackson is five already? I've been a bit emotional about this birthday (as if I'm not emotional about most things!) Turning five means going to kindergarten, teeth falling out, and becoming much more independent. All wonderful things, but I just wish I could keep him four just a bit longer.

On Jackson's birthday he woke up thinking his PJ's were feeling a bit smaller because now that he is five he must have grown overnight. To start his birthday off, Todd and Jackson went golfing. He was excited to spend the morning with Todd. Later in the day our neighbors came over to have a little celebration. It was Tami's birthday as well, so we sang to her and Jackson. The kids played on the water slide and in the sandbox. After Jackson's birthday dinner ( steak at his request) we opened presents and had yummy cupcakes. When we were in Disney Jackson had his eyes on a few Lego sets. He was so happy and surprised when he opened them.

On Friday we had Jackson's birthday party. For the past couple of months Jackson had been asking me if he could have a super hero birthday party. Todd and I thought it was crazy that he wanted this kind of party seeing as we have nothing super hero in our house nor have we ever watched anything super hero. He was very persistent about the theme so I went with it. When asking his specifics he said that he would really like most of it to be Superman...easy enough, or so I thought. I had no clue that all Superman things have been taken off of the shelves. So I got a little creative and made a few things with superman colors and of course got the four of us Superman t-shirts for the party. When I asked Jackson what he liked about super hero's he said he liked that they have powers to help people. So as every one's take home goodie bag we had a "Super Hero Candy Bar". We had a bunch of different candy that people could choose from, each labeled with a different power. It was fun!

All of the kids had a great time with the pinata, playing basketball, bouncing in the bouncy and eating way too much candy from the candy bar!

After singing happy birthday, Jackson opened all of his thoughtful gifts. He made a comment that he got a lot of "big boy" presents this year. He seemed extremely excited about everything he got. A few things he got was RC remote control car, soccer nets, a pillow pet, Legos and a Superman golf club cover.

As our last guests left around 10:30PM I thought about how lucky we are to have so many people that love and care about our big guy. We were so happy that so many people could come and celebrate with us.

Our Visits with Will and Emerson

This past week Erin was in town with Will and Emerson. Jayson was here for a couple of days and then had to fly to New York for work, but then was able to join them again after his work was done. Mom and dad had a BBQ at their house on Sunday afternoon. It was great to see all of our aunts, uncles and cousins. My mom planned it for a week that Erin would be in town so she could see everyone as well.
On Tuesday Erin and the kids came over in the morning after breakfast. We played in the playroom for a bit and then headed outside for some fun in the sun. The kids had a great time playing in the sandbox, riding bikes and playing on the swings. After lunch we decided to head to the farm. We decided to skip naps and enjoy every minute together that we could while they were in town.
When we got to the farm Jackson was a personal tour guide. He was excited to show Will and Emerson all of the animals and give them a few facts about the animals...always entertaining. After the farm we headed to the park to play for a bit.
After we went back to our house for dinner and more playtime. Jackson and Aubrin were sad that they had to go. It was a great day spent with the kids together and visiting with my sister.

Spray Park

Today we went to the spray park. We had plans to meet Mary and the boys so we thought it would be fun for Tammy and the kids to join us as well. So Tammy and I made our way out to Clarkston with the five kids and met Mary.

When we got there the kids played on the play structure before heading into the chilly water. Of course today it was on the cooler side, so the need to stand in the water was not as much needed as it has been. Jackson is on a mission to do the monkey bars by himself. He practices everyday at home. The park was no different. He was determined to get across. It will take a bit of time, but I think by next summer he will look like a little monkey swinging across the bars!

Once we made it into the water Jackson, Adam, Camden and Nolan seemed to love it! Addison, Jenna and Aubrin got their toes wet, but were not big fans of it.

After lunch we tried again and this time Addison joined in, but Jenna and Aubrin were just as happy sitting on the bench giggling! We stayed at the park all afternoon enjoying the beautiful day!

Our Last Day~ Day 7

Today was our last day of our trip. When we got up Todd and Eric took the kids down to the pool so Mary and I could pack up our rooms and get everything together before heading home. It was a beautiful day and all of the kids had a great time enjoying the pool for the last time. After we were packed and checked out of our hotel we headed back to Downtown Disney to have lunch before we left for the airport. We ate at Rainforest Cafe. It was a fun lunch to end our time at Disney together.
After lunch we headed back to the hotel just in time for our car to pick us up for the airport.
When we got to the airport the security line was so long. I love that the airport has a family line/stroller line. You can bypass all of the wait if you are traveling with young children.
As we waited for the plane the kids sat and looked at books, watched a movie a watched all of the planes. Once on the plane the kids got settled in and had their dinner that we brought on the plane with us.
Jackson watched a movie and Aubrin slept most of the way home.
It was such a wonderful week. We were all sad to see it end. We could not have asked for a better family to travel with. We love the Williamson's. All of the kids had such a great time together. So many memories were made this past week. Last night before we went to sleep we asked Jackson and Aubrin what their favorite part of the week was. Jackson said he loved seeing Buzz and Woody, going on the Toy Story rides and all of the parades. Aubrin said her favorite part of the trip was going to the castle, seeing all of the princesses and the parades. We can't wait to go back!

Epcot~ Day 6

Today we let the kids sleep in a bit. Everyday we have been up so early that we thought it would be nice just to get up when we were ready. After breakfast the kids wanted to go for a swim before heading to Epcot. So we went down to the pool for a bit to swim. Once we got to Epcot we headed to the Find Nemo ride. All of the kids are big fans of Nemo and were very excited. After we got off of the ride it led us right into the aquarium. It's the second largest Aquarium in the USA. I loved seeing the manatees. I remember going down to Florida as a little girl with my Grandma and Grandpa Doughty and seeing manatee's in the ocean. I loved that we could get so close. It was great because the glass was from floor to ceiling so all the kids could see without problem. As we started to head outside we realized that it was pouring down rain. So we stayed inside for a bit more and then went to see a show called Talk with Crush. It was a great show and the kids thought it was hilarious.
After spending a bit more time at Epcot Todd and I decided that the kids were having fun, but not a great time. Epcot doesn't have a ton of stuff for little kids to do. So we decided to head to Downtown Disney and have a birthday dinner for Jackson.

We went to a place called T-Rex for dinner. As we waited for dinner the kids were able to go into a room and dig for dinosaur bones. When the kids dinner came they were excited to see that we ordered them fun drinks that came in light up glasses. After dinner we were sitting there when all of the sudden some of the staff came around the corner with a special dessert and singing happy birthday to Jackson. He was a little embarrassed, but loved every minute of it.

We all enjoyed some yummy birthday dessert and celebrate our big guy.

After dinner we told the kids that we could go into a few of the stores to buy a few things. Not once on our trip so far have they asked if they could have something. Grandma and Papa also gave Jackson and Aubrin a few dollars to spend in Disney as well. Of course Jackson wanted to head straight to the Lego store. Jackson had his eye on a Toy Story spaceship that he liked the first time we went in the store. Aubrin found a very sparkly princess purse that she thought was just perfect. Jackson and Aubrin both also found Mickey and Minne dolls that they loved. As the night was coming to an end, we got all of our packages together and headed back to the hotel.
Even though it was late the kids really wanted to go back into the pool for a night swim. The pool was open until 11:00pm so we still had a bit of time to swim. It's vacation right? As long as the kids still had energy, I wasn't too worried about getting them in bed. We were so happy that we could celebrate Jackson's birthday in Disney. I hope it's a birthday that he will remember.