Helloooo Out There! 09/

Dearest Friends and Family,
Don't know if anyone is still reading the blog but I'm writing today just in case. SOOOOO much has happened since I last wrote. I'm not sure where to begin. I'll try to pick up where the last blog left off.

PHOTOS: PAL Luncheon in 05/08; Four Cousins in the Airport, 07/08; Cookie Comes Home From Camp, 07/08; Cookie Doing What She Loves, 08/08

The May 5th speech at the "Parents Against Leukemia" (PAL)luncheon in Woodland Hills was a HUGE success! They raised $100,000.00!!! Unbelievable! COOKIE, Shelee and I were treated like royality, paraded around and introduced to sooo many wonderful women and supporters of the "cause". They held a tennis tournament in the morning, followed by a beautiful luncheon. They used the plates that COOKIE had designed as the trophies for the winners of the tournament. COOKIE gave a four page speech, sharing her story with conviction and humor and it literally brought the house down. There were tears and cheers and all in all it was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. We walked away with goodies and gifts and plates and plants and a heart full of gratitude for the love that was shared. There were about 400 people in attendance. They've invited COOKIE back next year to speak once again. It was a very stimulating experience for all of us.

Parker Boy turned 7. We took the Amtrak to Legoland and had a really good time. I'm thinking the train ride is the most fun of all. I'm also thinking that we're done with Legoland for a while. :) On the train ride home, Parker lost his first tooth. He hadn't even told anyone that it was loose. He just plucked it out of his mouth and handed it to Shelee. What a funny guy.

Parker can't believe that school is out and he's going into the 2nd grade! He's quite proud of himself! He's reading very well and still pounding away on his drums. He's actually reading music as well. It's so cool to see desire and talent unveil itself. Parker is a funny guy though. He doesn't like to show you what he knows. He pounds away when you're watching and when you don't quite pay attention, he'll inadvertently show you what he's learned. He's capable of playing quite well when he concentrates on it. He did the same thing when he started reading. He wouldn't do it on demand but he'll read every sign and every book cover and television ad when you're not paying attention (as far as he knows anyway!).

Parker now has his own bedroom. Please shoot us if we talk about remodeling....ever again! What a nightmare! Thank goodness the worst is over. We now have a 4 bedroom home and the new bathroom is beautiful as well. Painting was fun....not.

Shannon and Shelee should start their own painting business. They've worked soooo hard and have been so organized. Matt takes care of all details and there's a ton to be handled, that's a fact. He's the follow up-compensation man. He works the "heavy equipment" and hangs the stuff on the walls. And, as far as I can tell, he's really a good sport about letting us women tell him what to do!! (thank you, Matt-Chew) Thank God Matt is home for the summer. We couldn't have done everything we needed to do without him and his anal, picky, particular protocol and his keen eye. This little family worked it's butt off transforming our home into a beautiful living space. We still have some painting to do but the really hard stuff is done. Just in the nick of time too. We reached our stopping point on Thursday, 6/26. the next day......

My grandson, Bradlee, from Oceanside got picked up at the Amtrak station in the am on 6/27 and my granddaughter, Ashley, from Reno, got picked up at the airport in the pm on 6/27. Ashley and Bradlee grew up together in Reno and haven't seen each other in about 3 years. That's a long time when you're a kid. We surprised Ashley at the airport because she didn't know Bradlee was going to be with us. It was non-stop from that moment on. Had a very busy, very fun packed 10 days with all of the kids. Shelee, Shannon and Matt did not let a single blade of grass grow under any of their feet. The beach, the pool, water park, shopping, playing, laughing. It was exactly how a vacation should be. It was very hard to say good bye to the "cousins" but off they went in their respective opposite directions.

The following week, COOKIE went to Ronald McDonald Summer Camp for SEVEN (7) days!!! She was completely confident that she was going to go and overcome her separation anxiety and have a blast! Well, she did just that! Seven days with not talking or seeing her, except on the camp website. One of the girls she met lives in Redondo Beach and they were together in the cabin. All 9 girls in the cabin were wonderful and fun and they all got along. It was a wonderful experience this time around. COOKIE is sure she will participate in all Camp Ronald McDonald activities, including going to winter camp again. One of the highlights of the camp experience was the 50 foot tower. The campers were attached by ropes and pulleys and they actually climbed (one at a time) up the tower and in and out of the tower, all the while their fellow campers are down below cheering them on. At the halfway point, there's a little table and chair with a log sitting on the table. You can sit there and read and add your own entry to the log. Then you continue up to the TOP and we have pictures of our girl at the TOP!!! An inspiring and proud moment in to have overcome her fear of heights and finding she has the strength and ability to climb and reach the top and wave to the little people below!! Can you just feel the emotions she must have been experiencing at that point and time? WoW. I'm really proud of her.

We were really glad to have her back, dirt and all. I think it's the dirtiest her and her clothes have ever been in her entire life. The day before the last day of camp, they sat all of the girls in the cabin on lawn chairs, all in a row, in their bathing suits and sprayed them with the hose. They called it the "human carwash".

August was vacation month. We rented a big, beautiful motorhome and went back to Dockweiler State Beach in El Segundo for a week on the sand. We parked in the front row and absolutely soaked up the sun, the smell of the air and ocean breeze for seven days. It was heavenly. What made it especially fun was that our pals, Diane and Kim parked next to us in their motorhome! We shared food, drink, laughter and messes but what a great time it was!

Parker and COOKIE took two full sessions of swimming lessons in May and early June and what a difference they made! COOKIE is much more confident in the water and swimming and boogie boarding with her mom and dad. Parker is actually jumping INTO the waves and body surfing. It's amazing to witness the progress they've made! It was worth every penny spent for their success.

We actually celebrated my BIG birthday, Shelee's birthday, Shelee and Matt's anniversary and Shannon and John's anniversay while on vacation. We had lots of family and friends and decorations and food and drink and sun and sand and laughs! It's a monumental day when BOTH of sisters come to the BEACH!! (neither of them like the beach), put on their swimsuits!!! and get in the water with me!!!!! It was a special moment and a very special birthday!

My kids gave me a beautiful RED 3 wheel bike (so I don't fall down and go BOOM!!) and my new license plate for the bike will say "GGG's Lexus" because it's the closest I'll ever get to my red Lexus. :)
(Story about "GGG"....In the kid's movie "Hoodwinked", Little Red Riding Hood's granny does everything EXTREME and she had "GGG" tatooed on the back of her neck. It's a spoof on Vin Disel's "XXX" movie. Anyway, the granny is really funny and extreme and COOKIE has called me "Triple G" ever since. Parker has never caught on and has always called me "Double G". HAHAHAHAHAHA)

We caught the "camping" bug and just bought a beautiful new travel trailer. Everyone is so excited. We're already booked at least once every month for the rest of the year to go camping at the beach. As a matter of fact, we'll be having Thanksgiving on the beach at Dockweiler. I can't wait. It doesn't get any better than that.

Well, here we are in September and the kids are both nestled into their new routines of early to bed and early ups. Parker has matured so much over the summer and it really shows. He loves his 2nd grade teachers (he has two) and suddenly, overnight, his printing became not only legible but NICE. Do you think he's been holding out on us?

COOKIE has chosen to continue being homeschooled and has taken on a full load of subjects. Her "Ms. Dena" is back in full swing, three days a week with lots of homework. I know it's still new but both kids are facing their new challenges with optimism and eargerness.

As far as an update on COOKIE's health, well, isn't it funny? I started this blog 2 years ago SPECIFICALLY to keep everyone who was interested up to date on COOKIE's health. It's taken on a life of it's own and opened many windows into this family. It's fun to write but ever since I've been back to work, it's been harder and harder to keep it going. I hope someone is reading it. If nothing else, it will be a good "log" to look back on.

Well, my beautiful granddaughter has not grown in stature in 2 years. Caused from damage to the pituitary gland during radiation and probably from all of the years of chemotherapy, she's remained pretty much the same height and weight. Visits to an endocronologist and many tests later it's determined that COOKIE needs to be given growth hormone therapy. That consists of a tiny little injection, every day, until she's 16 years old. This will cause her body to gain weight, muscle mass and grow to the size that it would have if it hadn't been so RUDELY interrupted. After much thought process and discussions, COOKIE has decided to go forward and do this. There are many repercussions on both sides of this issue and the decision to do this has not been made lightly.

At the same time, COOKIE has been battling a skin issue with her scalp, behind her knees, in the crooks of her arms and under her chin and arms. There's another debate going on between the oncologist and the dermatologist. One thinks the skin problems are fungal and the other says not. So, we're going with the oncologist's treatment first and, if it doesn't show any improvement we'll know it's not fungal and go to Plan B, which entails lots of different types of topical creams and shampoo and COOKIE will have to sleep with special medicine on her scalp and a cap for a while. WHATEVER it takes, she will endure it. She's very anxious to get to the root of this problem and not just treat the symptoms as we've been doing.

Since I began writing this particular entry in the blog, COOKIE has done yet another wonderful thing for herself. She chose to join her cousin Keli on family camping trip to Lake Mojave. They'll be sleeping in a tent and really roughing it. They'll be riding in Keli's family's boat and maybe even getting pulled behind the boat in a great big inner tube. She was very nervous her and Keli are very close and very compatible. She's never been this far away from home. It was hard to leave her. That's the overprotective grandma speaking. I would fold her into my arms and never let her leave, if only to protect her from anything ever causing her pain or harm ever, ever again. Doesn't every mother feel that way about their children? The only problem is my feeling never goes away, no matter how old they are. Dr. Phil would have a field day with me!!! hahahaha

All in all, considering everything that's happened in the last 2 1/2 years (or 10 1/2years, depending how you look at it) we're so darn thankful and lucky we can hardly contain ourselves. And now the TRAILER? Holy Cow. Life is good.

I hope it's good for all of you as well.
Would love to hear from you! My email is: gwarren1@socal.rr.com.
Hugs and best wishes for health and happiness,
Cookie, The Grandma