Your Questions

I love the feature of my blog where I can see where my visitors come from and what keywords they googled to get here.

Some of them are the expected words like breast cancer, breast reconstruction and tissue expanders. Others leave me scratching my head. Lately, from all over the United States, I have received hits on my site for people searching for "sick chest tattoos" and "toddler pacifiers." I'm sure mastectomy scars aren't what these searchers are seeking.

Anyways, I receive a lot of private messages asking things about my treatment and tips I may have. I will list a few of the most common ones here.

What did you use during radiation to keep your skin hydrated? 
I used a combination of Miaderm, coconut oil and emu oil.
I greased up every few hours and wore an old shirt. My plastic surgeon is amazed at how good my skin looks now.

Which Minnesota doctors did you use and would you recommend them?
I would absolutely, without a doubt recommend every one of my doctors. They're amazing.

My oncologist is Dr. Hartung. She's hilarious and a straight shooter. I literally trust her with my life.

My plastic surgeon is Dr. Migliori. He is a magician and a big teddy bear. He gave me boobs....freaking awesome boobs. He has the best bedside manner and not once did I see him where he didn't hug me.

My surgeon is Dr. Bretzke. She removed my breasts and lymph nodes. She declared me cancer-free and told me she hoped to never see me again. While I love her dearly, I concur.

What size did you end up?
Yes, strangers ask me that. I find it funny and I'm glad people feel comfortable enough to ask what they want. I asked for a C, but wanted a D.  Dr Migliori said that he would do his best. I am now a 34 DD or a 36 D, depending on the brand. I'm still waiting for a good sizing at Nordstrom's. I have a feeling I might actually be a different size than I'm wearing.

The big difference with real boobs and reconstructed boobs is that I don't have that cone look to my boobs anymore, so some bras have extra material in the cup that I can't fill. Mine are round, but not stripper-ish.


 As always, I welcome your questions. Email me! :)

Post Surgery

I'm sorry that I haven't updated yet.

Dr. Bretzke said that my umbilical hernia was worse than she expected, so she did have to use mesh in my stomach.
It still hurts sooooo bad. It's definitely comparable to the pain from a c-section.

When Dr. Migliori went in to take out my port, he said that I was definitely lucky that my surgery was when it was. As he cut my skin, he was able to see that the port was only about a millimeter from the surface and there was old dried blood surrounding it, like a hematoma. He thinks within a few days, my body would have expelled the port and I would have been left with an open direct line to my heart and possible infection. Thank God my surgery was when it was!

Dr. Migliori was able to place 550 ccs implants in. I am ecstatic; he wasn't sure I would be able to even get 500 ccs because of what radiation typically does to your skin. He praised me for taking such good care during the process. I think he was a little shocked that I didn't use anything special, just coconut oil.

I have very little pain in my chest and boobs for now.
I have to wear an underwire bra around the clock for three weeks.
Here are an obnoxious amount of pictures. :)

Waiting patiently for the anesthesiologist.

                                                                            Chatting

Because I had lymph nodes removed during my mastectomy, I can no longer have blood pressure taken or blood draws done from that arm. Doing so would put me at an even higher risk for lymphedema.

This is a little reminder for everyone in the surgery room. 

                                                       Post surgery. Good drugs!

This is me on surgery day. This picture shows all of the areas that I had worked on. I'm so swollen; I can't believe I'm posting this. 

 This is day 2. Eric and I went to Edina to meet with Dr. Migliori again. He said everything looks awesome and he was able to take off the Ace bandage. One more day until I can shower.

Dr Migs guaranteed me that my boobs would look better one the swelling went down. I'm happy with them already. The black bra I'm wearing in the picture is a D cup. I had hoped to be a large C or small D. I got my wish! I have only a tiny amount of blood around the cut he made and virtually no bruising.

                             This is my miracle worker, Dr. Migliori. Love, love, love him!!

Thanks again to everyone for the calls, emails and facebook messages. You guys are rockstars!!

One more day!

It's 5 a.m. the day before my final surgery and I can't sleep. Honestly, I'm just sitting here drinking coffee and flexing my boobs. It's a fun party trick I realized I could do shortly after my expander surgery. Because my tissue expanders are in a nice little pocket inside of my chest wall, when I move my arms or chest muscles, my boobs move. It's obnoxious and hilarious. I, of course, hope my newly acquired trick sticks with me after surgery tomorrow. How fun would that be at the gym?

 Just in case I lose my "gift", I had Eric take a short video of me flexing last night. I'm trying to post it but haven't figured out how to do that yet. Youtube is a little too sophisticated for me. I also had Eric take a picture of my port-a-cath. This little button has allowed me to not feel any of my sticks during the last year. I have received all of my chemotherapy and herceptin infusions through my "little friend." My port is the main reason I am so excited for surgery. Although extremely helpful, I hate this thing. There are cords under my skin that lead to my artery. They're gross and feel strange. It's a bitch trying to find shirts that don't show my "button." Occasionally, I just slap a band-aid on it and call it good.

The bruising has been pretty bad for the past few months. My body just wants it out.

 On to surgery stuff, I have to check in at Abbott at 6 am for my 8 am surgery. Dr. Bretzke will do surgery on my umbilical hernia first...a special shout out to my 7 lb 1 oz and 6 lb 5 oz twins! :) Next, Dr. Migliori will do my expander/implant swap. The complete time should be under around 2-3 hours. They are estimating that I will be discharged around noon if all goes well. My bag is packed and I'm ready to put this whole cancer saga behind me.

When I read posts from the beginning of this journey, I talked a lot about the fantastic new boobs I would have at the end. I have since learned, boobs aren't that big of a deal....shocking, I know. Even with my new boobs, grand as they may be....and they WILL be grand! I will still have no feeling in them. I could plop them right on a stove burner and wouldn't feel a thing. I still have no nipples, which oddly doesn't seem odd to me anymore. I still have an arm that feels like raw chicken. I have very little feeling there and it still isn't completely weight bearing. My fingers still tingly and go numb.

As normal as I look now from the outside, breast cancer has still taken it's toll.
I'm still adapting, but I'm thankful.

Thanks for all of your support and prayers!

It's My Cancerversary

Today, one year ago, my life changed forever. I was diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer and was sure that I was dying.

Since then, I have received my miracle from the Lord and am now completely cancer-free. I was blessed with an amazing medical team who pulled out all of the stops and provided me with the best care possible. My friends, both near and far, are the greatest I could ever ask for and my family has supported and loved me more than I deserved.

I don't think about breast cancer every day anymore. I don't panic that the aches I do have are a recurrence waiting to happen. I live my life and I thank God every single day that I wake up; it's how I should have been living all along.

I'm almost at the end of my cancer journey. I will have my final Herceptin infusion on August 20th and my last Breast Reconstruction surgery on August 30th. I am looking forward to less appointments and finally getting my chemo port removed.

Here are some pics of us since I've last posted. This is at one of my July infusions, in serious need of a haircut.

I was texted this picture from the Relay for Life in Watertown, SD. My brother and his family walked for me. It's so weird to see your name on a bag. It's just one of those crazy times that you think, Wow, my name is on a fucking cancer bag...this sucks. A second later, you realize that you're damn happy that the bag says "in honor of" instead of "in memory of."

This was probably the highlight of my summer. Eric and I chose to be baptized along with 900 other people from our church in Lake Johanna. It was amazing and we came out of the water completely different people.

These are my new magic glasses. My job allows me to work from home and requires a lot of time on the phone and computer. I bought these glasses so my kids would be able to tell when mom was just surfing the web or actually working. I tell them that when Mom's magic glasses are on, my ears don't hear anyone who is not on the phone. So far, it has been working. :)

This is my lovely family.

My new ring. Eric and the kids gave me a Cancerversary ring. It's pink and sparkly and I love it!

Life has been great. Summer is coming to an end and Karsyn starts school Monday. I have been richly blessed. I think I should eat cake.

I love youtube.

For my lovers of gore, I found a clip of what my surgery will most likely look like. I will be having my breast tissue expanders taken out (I love how they just pop out in the video) and my new implants put in.

Surgeries are fascinating!

If you're easily grossed out or have no interest in the process, don't click the link.
Surgery Link

Disclaimer: This is NOT me.

June

Everything has been business as usual around here. The kids are busy with summer activities. I'm busy trying to get my house in order and Eric is busy working to pay for it all. :)

I had chemo again on Monday. I'm happy to report that I only have three more left. My last Herceptin infusion is two months from today.
My final surgery is so close that I can hardly stand it....71 more days!!

My left wrist and shoulder are still pretty achy. It's likely that I will always have pains in that arm. I also notice a lot of tingling and numbness in my fingertips. Normal complaints, I'm told.
Despite that, I'm feeling pretty damn good.

People don't look at me like I'm sick anymore. Friends have stopped asking how I'm feeling. My doctor appointments are now few and far between.
I missed this.
I love the normalcy that this summer has brought. I never want it to end.


Here are some pics of June. It's been exciting and busy!
We went on our yearly Father's Day adventure to Valleyfair last weekend.

The week prior to that, I met some friends in Chicago for a long weekend. Too much fun!

Great Outdoors

I'm not outdoorsy, I don't like bugs. I do, however, like to watch my kids play with bugs....and turtles.
We spent the weekend camping in a cute little cabin "up North."

We fished, chased turtles and spent the whole weekend together doing family stuff...without a tv. We all survived and can't wait to do it again!

 We love Minnesota!

Conflicted

I have taken a little break from this blog. I have been enjoying being healthy, spending time with my family and even finding time to do a little traveling.

On one hand, I want to put cancer behind me. That includes this blog and all that it contains.
I am 3 months away from my last chemo and my final reconstructive surgery. What will I write about after all of that? I barely have enough to write about now.

On the other hand, I am still getting tons of page views from all over from people who need information on breast cancer. I feel like I would be doing a disservice to them if I just stopped. Even though I have so little to share now that I'm N.E.D., I still have more knowledge about cancer than most people. I still want to help.
I'm just torn.

Another thing I feel completely conflicted about is the fact that I left out a very important part of my story and I feel guilty for not sharing that part of me.
At the time, I was so confused. I was in disbelief. I was in shock. I was in awe.
I needed time to process who I had met and what I had witnessed.

Here is my testimony.

Soon after my diagnosis, I was invited by a friend to meet with a "Man of God" named Larry Herlong. He travels the world preaching about God's goodness and is even able to manifest Jesus Christ through his own face.
I had heard what Larry was capable of but was a little skeptical, to say the least.

Within minutes of speaking with Larry, I was in full blown tears. I was at the lowest point in my life and searching for any sign that God really existed. I was tired. I needed a miracle. Larry made me feel safe as he stared into my eyes and told me what God had planned for me.

Larry prayed with me for which felt like only a few minutes, but was really over an hour. As he prayed, I sat frozen staring at him. His face began to distort and Jesus Christ himself stared back at me as clearly as Larry had been just seconds earlier. The area around Larry lit up like the brightest sunlight you could ever imagine. My eyes burned, I couldn't look away. I couldn't shut my tears off as I stared at Jesus. In the midst of Larry's prayers, I could hear him cast out the evil spirits in me that were causing my cancer. He made me repeat after him that I didn't have cancer.

Admittedly, I felt kind of silly yelling, "I don't have cancer!" when I had just been diagnosed weeks earlier.  When I voiced my concerns about getting cancer back in the future, Larry reassured me that God didn't send him to me to perform this miracle just so he could give me cancer again. Larry said I would beat cancer and it would be gone forever.  I hung on to those parting words from Larry and prayed for the best.

As you all know, when I went in for my September chemo, one month after I was diagnosed and 19 days after I met with Larry, my doctors could no longer feel the tumor in my breast that had been unmistakable weeks prior. They also couldn't find or feel the 1-inch area in my lymph node that was cancerous. My stage 2B tumors had somehow disappeared in less than one month.

The doctors were ecstatic. They were amazed that the chemo was working so fast and that I was having such a great response. There was a lot of head shaking going on in the doctor's office. I smiled knowing that we were all witnessing a miracle. I believed in God much more than the medicine.

In January 2012, when my surgeon told me that there were no signs of cancer anywhere in my body, I was so happy, but not entirely surprised.
I had been witnessing so many changes in myself, my life and in the people around me in the past few months that I knew that Larry was the real deal. I knew that I didn't have cancer because he spoke the words.

I vowed to live and love differently since that crazy day in August when I first met Larry. I'm still conflicted as I sit here contemplating whether I should REALLY post this, but I feel such a weight lifted off me for just writing this.

Part of me doesn't want to offend those of you who don't have the same beliefs as me. Part of me doesn't want my cancer-related blog to turn into anything but.

Thankfully, the biggest part of me...the pure part, wants to tell the whole world about the obstacle that God helped me overcome. I beat cancer and I didn't do it alone.
I want to tell people that miracles happen every day. I'm one of them.
God has bigger plans for me and I don't plan to disappoint him.

If anyone ever wants to talk Jesus, email me. :)

Race Day!

What a wonderful weekend we had!

Our team, Pretty in Pink, consisted of 14 runners and walkers. Together, we raised $3,310.00 for the Susan G. Komen foundation. That amount puts two of our team members on the Pink Fundraising Honor Roll! Woot for yours truly and Sharon! 

A special thanks to Sara Druck for organizing the fundraiser, all of my friends for donating prizes and our wonderful family and friends for purchasing so many raffle tickets.

We also received an amazing donation from Rustic Charm in the amount of $300.00, which were the proceeds from the HOPE necklace Mandi sells.

The day of the walk was amazing. The weather was perfect and spirits were high. It was so great to see all of the survivors and their friends and families. 

This will surely become a yearly event for us. I was shockingly interviewed by Kare 11 news during the walk and a small blurb of me showed up at the 2 minute mark. 

CHECK ME OUT

I also showed up at the end of the news shaking my pom poms with my friend, Jamie. I can't find that clip though. Rest assured, we looked awesome! :)

Following the race, we went to the Survivor Circle in the Mall of America. It was great to sit among all the pink shirts. We were given flowers and had a group picture taken. They had people stand if they had been diagnosed 40 years ago..., 30 years ago....., all the way down to the 1 year or less. 

I shed some tears as I stood while everyone clapped for us newbies. 

To feel so supported and loved by complete strangers was an amazing feeling. It also gave me such hope that I will be one of the people standing up at the 40 year mark some day. 

I'm not going to let this disease beat me.....although according to my friend Stacy's sign, it already has!

In memory of?? Come on now!

This is the part of our team that had no interest in running the 5k. A Minnesota Vikings cheerleader took this picture for us. 

L to R: Eric, Jean, Jamie, Jill, Me, Stacy, Jen, Deb, Josh, Palmer, Megan

The support for this event was amazing. Minnesota has one of the largest Komen walks in the U.S. 

It was truly an amazing thing to be a part of.

Me and my love. 

He had SUCH a hard time with this day. It took an emotional toll on him that I did NOT expect. It was hard to see.

We finished the race, but our job is not done. We will continue to walk, fundraise and preach to the masses about early detection of breast cancer until there is a cure for breast cancer.

I WILL live to see a cure for breast cancer. 

Thanks for your support!

If I'm well enough to volunteer, I will.

I like to volunteer and I have a fun t-shirt collection to prove it. Last night was my first time manning the Susan G. Komen shirt pick up station at the Mall of America. I had a blast and met some great ladies. I can't wait to do it again next year.

The energy levels of the teams picking up their gear was amazing. It was so fun to see how pumped everyone is to be participating.

The Minnesota Susan G. Komen festivities start this weekend. Our big walk is on Sunday.
I'm so excited to be a part of it!!

Thanks again for your support! Coming soon will be donation totals and race pictures. Stay tuned!!

Do you know your normal?

Test Results

My skin biopsy came back as benign. Yay!

My bone density also came back as GOOD.
No osteoporosis for this girl! :)

I love good test result days!

My Odd Tissue Expanders

I sometimes check my blog traffic to see what exactly people google to end up on my blog.
I see a ton of "tissue expanders"and "what will I look like after my mastectomy?" traffic.
I'm not surprised. That's exactly what I googled when I was first diagnosed. I found very little.

To make this blog work to it's fullest potential, I will show you what I look like. I hope it helps you to see that they're odd little buggers....but temporary.
It doesn't mean this is what you will look like, but it's a good starting point.

I have a serious love/hate relationships with my expanders.
I like them because they make me appear to have boobs....really large boobs, actually.
For someone like me, who had virtually NO boobs prior, I kind of enjoy them.

In the middle of the night when I can't get comfortable because they're poking me- and I feel like my ribs are breaking, I'm not such a fan.
It all evens out. Temporary, temporary!

Here's the good part to my story.....Dr. Migliori said that since my skin responded insanely well after radiation, I don't have to wait the full six months to have my exchange surgery.
I will be getting my new boobs on August 30th. Woo hoo!

This is pretty fabulous news.
Here are some pics of my crazy boobs now. The whole process of boobs, cancerous boob, no boobs, small boobs to big boobs is truly amazing.

Since my mastectomy on January 3rd, I have been inflated 500 ccs on the left and 540 ccs on the right.
The expanders were put in wide because of my need for radiation through the middle of my chest.
I have not worn a bra since January 3rd. I can run with these bad boys and they don't move an inch.
I should run more. :)

The last picture shows a dot in the middle of my ribs. That's one of my radiation tattoos. I have (I think) four of them. They're permanent.

Joyce's back....

...isn't it lovely?
Thanks for the support all the way in Texas!

Get your wallet!

Again, my friends have proven how awesome they are.

It's Susan G. Komen Walk for a Cure time. My friends live all over the United States, so it's impossible for them all to walk with me. Instead, they spent countless hours putting together a fundraiser raffle for me, for the organization and for YOU.

For anyone who has been touched by cancer... or may some day be, we need this money more than you could ever imagine.

We need a cure. We need more birthdays. We need more time with our kids and grandkids.
We need money for research.

PLEASE consider donating. ANY amount is appreciated and ANY amount helps.

It's tax deductible and my friends have donated some fantastic raffle prizes. Have I mentioned how wicked talented and wonderful they are?

Here's the blog with more information on the prizes and how to donate.
Thank you for your consideration!

http://momsforacure.blogspot.com/


We would love if you would share this link with everyone. Post about it on your blog, share it with your facebook friends, tell your neighbors! :)

Another Day......Another Scan

Today, I received my first bone density scan.
It will check to see if I have osteoporosis or weak bones.

It was super easy. I didn't even have to hold my breath. :)

I read a study a few months back about Zometa being infused in patients with good results.


According to the article, researchers gave young women Zometa to "prevent complications and relapses" from breast cancer, and got "impressive" results, says Marilynn Marchione atUSA Today.

One factor, say researchers, may have something to do with how Zometa strengthens bones. This effectively makes it "tougher for cancer to spread there," says Marchione. It's also possible that Zometa might have "direct effects against circulating cancer cells or microscopic tumors," although more research is needed on that point.

 The part that peaked my attention was this:
The patients were found to have a 37 percent lower risk of death. That means that "4 to 5 more women out of every 100 were alive seven years later." SOUNDS GOOD TO ME!


I should have the results of the scan in about 3 days. At that point, I will start persuading Dr. Hartung about why I want to be on yet another drug.
The infusion is every 6 months for 3 years. 
I wish I could start it today.

Know Your WHOLE Body...not just your boobs.

I have had a few skin cancer scares in the past.
Last year, one of my skin biopsies came back as Basal Cell Carcinoma. It's a common skin cancer, but treatable if found early.

Since then, I have had a few other suspicious spots frozen off with liquid nitrogen. Here are pics of the two I had zapped today. This pic is after the nitrogen.

I seriously need to save up for Botox. This is ridiculous.

The process burns a little- and afterwards, a blister forms. I had one on my forehead and neck this time. I had been watching these for a while, but the color change was concerning to me. Dr. Pakzad thought that these spots were probably pre-cancerous and liquid nitrogen would be a good treatment.


I also had one spot on my arm that was flesh colored, but had recently become bumpy and scaly. Here's a pic. It was small in diameter, but the recent change in the color and texture of it made me nervous.
When in doubt, consult a specialist!

Dr. Pakzad felt that this one very well could be cancerous, so he did a biopsy. I should have results within 10 days. If it is cancer, I will go back to have the rest of it cut out and burned/frozen.

I will have another body check the end of May.

Disclaimer:
This post isn't to gross you out. It's just a little reminder to apply that sunscreen liberally and often.

Also, if you have any moles that you think have changed in color or shape, please see a dermatologist. Melanoma can be deadly.

Comparison Pics

I have hair now....lots of hair. It's thick and wacky and I love it. It's a far cry from my usual really blonde, really straight pre-cancer hair, but it's been so much fun.

 I have had one haircut and one color so far. I have another hair appointment next week to lighten it up a tad.

Here is a pic of Karsyn and I this week.

Here is a pic of me almost exactly four months ago.

I can't wait to see what I look like four months from now!

Metformin Trial

About 7 years ago, Eric and I sought help from a reproductive endocrinologist because we were having trouble conceiving. I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

Along with a whole gamut of drugs to help me ovulate, I was also given a drug called Metformin. Metformin is typically taken by diabetics, but was prescribed for me to reduce insulin levels and promote normal ovarian function.

It worked. I was on it for a few years but eventually went off it when we moved to Minnesota. I honestly have no idea why I went off it. It was probably because I wasn't in the market for more kids.

Fast forward to last week. I was googling more breast cancer trials. I am intrigued by new drugs that may be the answer to my prayers. I came across a Metformin trial that immediately peaked my interest.

I asked Dr. Hartung about it today and was told that I actually qualified for the trial. There's a HUGE study going on right now that approximately 3580 people will participate in. Half of the patients will receive Metformin, the other half will receive a placebo. The study should take about 3 years to fill enrollment and the results should be known in about 6 years. I did the paperwork and was signed up to begin next week.

I thought about it all the way home from Woodbury, when it suddenly occurred to me, why do I want to risk taking a placebo for 3-6 years when a drug that I KNOW my body tolerates and only costs pennies per day is available to me?

I immediately called my primary family doctor and told her about the study. I asked if I could go back on Metformin to treat my PCOS.

I'm excited to report that my prescription is at Target right now waiting for me to pick it up.
I will start taking the Met with my Tamoxifen tomorrow.

I will also be officially dropping out of the trial tomorrow. I can't take the chance that I would get a placebo.

I have a good feeling about this. :)

Just Another Bitch Slap From Reality

I went to my every three week Herceptin infusion today.
I was excited to see my doctor and nurse, who I haven't seen since late January.
I settled into my chair in the waiting room and waited for my name to be called.

While I waited, I noticed a man and woman in their 50's and a man in his 30's talking quietly. The woman was fighting back tears. The men were somber.
For some reason, I walked over to her, sat down and asked her if I could hug her.
She hugged me hard. I asked her if she had just been diagnosed. She sniffed as she said, "No, my daughter." and motioned down the hall.

I immediately started in with my success story, as I had so many times. "No worries! Breast cancer is highly treatable! I have no evidence of disease. It's not that bad...."
She started blankly at me and said, "She's 34. This is her second round."

Gulp.

I changed my speech to the "there are new advances every day!" line.
Our eyes locked and we both started bawling. I walked back to my seat feeling like I had been sucker punched. At that second, even I didn't believe the BS I was spewing.

A woman came to the front desk from the doctor's office hallway and started making her follow up appointments, as we all have to do.
I heard her schedule her PET scan and MRI.
She was calm. She was friendly to the receptionist.

I then watched as she walked over to the family I had just spoken to. Judging from that woman's demeanor, I would have had no idea that she was the one that had just been diagnosed for a second time in a few short years with breast cancer.

I couldn't help but stare as she walked arm and arm out of the oncology office with her family without saying a word. I also watched as all four of them embraced and collapsed the second they were safely out in the hallway.

Another sucker punch.
I had just witnessed my worst fear.
Why the hell hadn't I just minded my own business and let that lady weep in peace? Then, I would have had no idea about their story. I wouldn't have opened up my own raw wounds and emotions.

Just yesterday, I told Eric that I'm finally feeling like the old me.
Cancer thoughts weren't consuming me like they used to.

Now today, all I can think about is that poor girl. Her screening two months ago was clean. She was cancer-free. Now, her future is unknown and her prognosis is grim.
What a difference a day makes.

I'm sorry. What a buzz kill this post is.
It's reality... and sometimes, reality bites.

If anything, it's a good (much needed) reminder to not take a single day for granted.

My prayers and thoughts go out to that girl, whoever she is.

We have stripes!!

Project #1 complete!

In between a soccer game, birthday party, church and getting ready for our garage sale, Eric found time to paint the kids' bathroom.
I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.

I want the kids out of our bedroom/closet/bathroom, so this was a much needed first step.
Their bathroom has gone untouched since we moved here in 2010.
It was white, white, white and boring, boring, boring.

Eric is a very meticulous worker and quickly banned me from the bathroom. I delivered the paint and Eric spent the weekend measuring, taping and painting.

Karsyn, Chase and Houston's bathroom is small- but painting stripes took longer than any of us would have predicted.
I don't think I will be getting more stripes anytime soon.

Last night, Eric revealed the finished stripes and today, I found a shower curtain and accessories that I think add a little whimsy to the room.

We are all excited for the kids to actually start using their new (fun) space.

We are still waiting on a few accessories, but overall, it's mostly complete.
LOVE!

The kids and I spent the weekend trying to stay out of Dad's road.
Karsyn and Chase spent a ton of time in the sandbox and riding bike.

Houston worked on designing his first computer program by age 4. :)

Cooper just followed us around smiling all day.

I can't wait for project #2!