Just Us

Nelson Playdate!

We don't get together often enough, and when we do, it isn't long enough!  But, we always have fun with the Nelson crew!  We decided to do a pool "party" in Julie's parent's backyard so the kids could swim and they even got to roast hotdogs in the outdoor fireplace...an awesome backyard! 

Ashlyn loved little Sam and insisted on helping him put his paci back in (only bc she was the one who kept taking it out!)  I think she might have been a little jealous that he had one and she didn't!

 It ended up being a little cool for the pool bc it was overcast but that didn't stop the boys from getting in and swimming!

Eating a picnic lunch while watching Disney!

I minor accident!  Ashlyn is infatuated with kissing puppies and got a little to close!  She was frightened but she's all healed up!

Poppy's Birthday Party

Poppy turned 65!  Jon, Sean, Bruce, and Dad played a round of golf while we hung out with mom and Dottie (in the air condition)!  He had a great day and it was so fun spending time with old family friends for the day!

Sweet Sophie

Our sweet friend Sophie May Sewell was just diagnosed with a neuroblastoma tumor.  This is her background story from her CaringBridge site.

Sophie has a bump on her back that has been there for a few months. It has been checked by multiple doctors several times and none of them were concerned. However, the pediatrician decided they should have a surgeon look at it and that happened last week. He ordered an MRI but assured us that he was almost 100% sure that it was just extra fascia...connective tissue and no big deal. Sophie underwent an MRI on Wednesday, June 20. 

At that time they decided that it was likely a neuroblastoma and definitely a big deal.  It is about the size of a baseball that goes through her spine and in the shape of a dumb bell. Sophie is truly unaffected by the tumor. It doesn't hurt her and she is eating, drinking, walking, peeing, pooping and sleeping just fine. She is her usual happy little self. 

After conferring with the surgeon and an oncologist and figuring out a plan of action. Sophie was given the green light to go home and come back on Friday to have a few tests done.

A very strange thing about this is that about a month ago, our high school friends, Chad and Shelley Rakestraw's little girl Kamryn was diagnosed by these same doctors with the very same thing. There are typically about 600 cases of this per year in the US. To have 2 couples who are friends both have babies with this, is almost unheard of. So they will be taking this journey together with Kamryn leading the way. please visit Kamryn's site and show support for her too.

Whitney & Sophie and Shelley &Kamryn

We were so blessed to spend a few hours with Sophie the day before her first round of chemo so the girls could play before Sophie's immune system gets weaker.

As part of Sophie's fundraising team, the first thing we got were her bracelets!  Next on the agenda...t-shirts, a Zumbathon, an auction, and a vendor sale!  Sophie is loved and we KNOW she will beat this!

Sky VBS and a week of FUN!

Austin joined Caiden at VBS this year and the boys had a blast!

Austin stayed the week with us and we did some pretty fun things!

We made Slime (Ashlyn had her friend Sophie come over too play too!)

We did a naked egg experiment that dissolved the shell off of an egg and made it squishy!  We added food color to see what would happen!
 

                                                Fun dinner at Kid's Night at Chick-fil-A!

The boys animals got frozen into blocks of ice...they had to rescue them!

Making their own pizzas!

Just being silly!