A-S-S

Bet that got your attention, huh???

Cade is now attending Isle of Hope Elementary, our neighborhood school. It has really gone very well thus far. He LOVES his teacher and so do I. She is so funny and quick witted! He is ,however, being introduced into the world of public school. Here's what he told me about school the other day.
(don't quote me on this story. i wasn't there. you'll get the gist of it anyway. I'd love to hear Mrs. R's version.)

Mommy "so what happened on the playground today?"
Cade "Lee (his cute friend who just traded schools with him) and I got to be like detectives at recess today."
Mommy "detectives, huh? did you play detective?"
Cade "no, we found this word written on the playground by the climbing wall and I thought it was the bad word so we went and told Mrs. R. Mrs. R said that we were like detectives to discover that word and that it was the letters A-S-S that stood for something. She said it stood for "ALWAYS STAY SAFE!" That's probably why it was written next to the climbing wall. We spent the rest of recess walking around looking for other letters to decode, but didn't find any."

now that's a quick thinkin' teacher!
Thank you Mrs. R for protecting our boys innocence for one more day!

third child

here's the scenerio.... jogging with baby in the jog stroller. Baby unbeknownst to mama drops one of the two pacifiers left in the house.

child #1... totally written it off, forgotten it, and made a quick run to Wal-Mart for a new 10 pack of pacis.

child #2 ...Looked for the paci on the jog home if found and the nipple wasn't touching the road it would have been grabbed, stuck it in the stroller, eventually washed it in the dishwasher and reused after that.

child #3 ...steps immediately retraced until the paci was found (which by the way had been totally run over by a car), paci was stuck it in the stroller, brought it home, mama considered throwing it away but then thought to herself, "the part she sucks on is still intact, it will still work in an emergency." Unfortunately for Clara, today we resorted to the run over paci! poor clara!

LLS Regatta Kids Fishing Tournament and the Saga of "Bunny Love"

Today was the Leukemia Lymphoma Society's Kids Fishing Tournament at the Yacht Club. If you'll remember Cade took first place last year with a record of 23 fish in one hour. He was very excited to try to defend his title today. Daddy was very firm about Cade catching his own fish today, although he was still there to help with fish removal. Cade caught 9 fish in an hour and won SECOND PLACE!!! He was a little peeved that he got beat by a girl, but still he did it on his own! Of course mommy wasn't there with the camera when he reeled in his biggest catch of the day and 11 inch redfish, but I did get a few pictures!

Although Cade did great, I must say the catch of the day went to daddy! It wouldn't be a Garola Gang outing if it didn't include some sort of drama. And today's drama came in the form of a pink fuzzy bunny lovey. Clara's FAVORITE thing to sleep with is her "bunny love" as we call it. It's soft and pink and monogrammed with her initials. It's a small blanket with the head of a bunny attached. We take that thing everywhere and all we have to do to get her to sleep is give her that and a paci. Well... today Clara had the fore mentioned bunny love in her stroller on the dock as we watched the boys fish. Cora's fishing lasted all of 2 minutes. Unbeknownst to mommy, Clara drops bunny love onto the concrete marina walkway. Which would have been fine if the wind hadn't been blowing at like 9000 miles per hour. The minute I saw bunny love was the minute it flew from the walkway over the dock railing, plummeting approximately 30 feet into the waters below. I scream, "LOVEY!!!" and lurch forward as if there was something I could do at this point! Cora immediately flies into hysterics as Clara stares as an onlooker watching her bunny soak in more water and slowly sink by the second. Cora is crying like it's her blanket in the waters below and leaning over the rail as if she's considering jumping for it! Rob flies into action as he's mumbling something underneath his breath, tears the unused bait off Cora's fishing pole, drops it in with only a hook and weight on the end, lands it directly under bunny love, and then as he reels it back up, hooks the bunny seconds before it became waterlogged to the point of submersion. Cade cheered! Cora cried (because although bunny love was safe, he was now stinky and wet.) And Clara just sat there. I love that daddy's such a quick thinker! You know not all superheroes wear capes!

Meet Survivor, Rebecca!!!

September is Childhood Cancer awareness month. As you know we are collecting donations for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society this month. I've been posting success stories of children plagued with blood cancers that are survivors because of the research of very gifted people who strive everyday to find cures! I wanted to save my last survivor introduction for someone VERY special! I LOVE THIS LITTLE GIRL!!!

When Cora did the Runway to Recovery fashion show she was showing her regular grumpy tendancies in the dressing room. One minute she wanted one pair of shoes with outfit #1, the next minutes she wanted another. One second she LOVED the idea of sporting a feather boa, the next second "people would think she was a chicken." She was dramatic. And she was the youngest member of the fashion show so all the other women and teenagers were doting on her and trying to talk to her and she WAS NOT being sweet and charming to say the least. As we're discussing the fact that no one would mistake her for poultry as she walked the runway, this sweet teenage girl in a wheelchair in the back of the room motioned for Cora to "come here."

I walked her back and this precious precious girl who obviously had issues much bigger than feathers or no feathers said, "Wow! I really love those feathers! You look so pretty. You should wear those when you go out on the stage." Cora was sold! A teenager told her to wear the feathers, so they were a go! We started talking to Rebecca and found out that she was diagnosed with APL a very rare and acute form leukemia. I knew that APL required a harsh treatment. After discussion with Rebecca I found that she was being treated locally at Backus just as Cora is. I also found that her chemo regimen included Arsenic!!! As in the same ingredient used in rat poison! The girl's cancer was so tough that it took poison to kill it! You can imagine what that would do to the rest of your body. I assumed her harsh treatment was the reason for her wheel chair as Cora has experienced muscle weakness. The more I chatted with Rebecca, the more I loved her. This girl was SO strong! What a fighter! She shared all kinds of things about treatment with me on our initial meeting and then went on to say that she had trouble finding fashion show dresses to fit because of her port and tubes. Her attitude was AMAZING!!! Not one time did she ever seem resentful! I got home and visited Becca's caringbridge site to find the following statement, "Rebecca is 13 years old and has been through a long journey in her 13 years. She was born with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalis which she has had some 58 surgeries for. She was just diagnosed February 3 of 2010 with Acute Promeylocytic Leukemia (APL). So we are going to face a different journey. We ask for prayers daily." Talk about being kicked when you're down!!!! This girl has had a lifetime of surgeries, medications, and hospital talk and now she's added cancer to that! BUT cancer nor any other medical issues define Becca! She is AWESOME!!! She's a typical teenager that loves art, music, and her family. She's obviously a Christian and that shines through in everything she does!

Cora and I went a few months ago to visit her as she was hospitalized. The girl was on dexamethosone, Cora's steroid. And she WAS NOT GRUMPY AT ALL! Cora can't leave the house for days after she gets off that stuff! I asked her mom if she was always this plesant and she said, "yes!" Rebecca AMAZES ME!!! I'm so thrilled that she has recently started her maintenance phase of chemo! Rebecca DESERVES A CURE!!! Thanks Becca for being an inspiration to us all! Everytime I think I'm having a bad day, I think of you!!!

Please consider making a donation to LLS to help other children become survivors like Becca, Kennedy Grace, Madison, John Michael, and Cora! We appreciate your support!

check on becca at www.caringbridge.org/visit/rebeccacarnes1

Double Trouble!!!

A MUST VISIT

I have a HILARIOUS friend who also happens to be a superb writer with super cute kiddos and an inspirational blog. You've got to read her post for Sunday September 12th. These things only happen to her (well, and me sometimes). I think that's why I like her. She makes me feel normal! THIS IS FUNNY!!!
www.burchbusiness.blogspot.com

Doublely tired!

AFV take 4

As you know we Garola's are always on the lookout for our shot at 10k on America's Funniest Videos. I caught this Clara blooper the other day and Cade thinks it's in the running. poor clara!

Meet Survivor, Kennedy Grace!!!

This is Kennedy Grace. Kennedy Grace is probably one of the only positive things that came from my early Internet research on Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. When Cora was first diagnosed at the age of 2 I was DESPERATELY searching for someone online who was the same sex, age at diagnosis, and had a very closely matching diagnosis to Cora's. Kennedy Grace was three when she was diagnosed. I found her story online and clung to the fact that it was nearly identical to Cora's and she was doing so well half way through treatment. A few weeks later a friend who taught with me at SCPS called to check up on Cora. She told me that she had a good friend in Atlanta whose daughter had ALL and gave me the mother's contact information as a resource. It was Kennedy Grace's mom!!! I knew then that it wasn't by chance that we found Kennedy Grace's story online! Although we've never met in person, Kennedy Grace and her mom have been a great resource for us and inspiration to us!

She finished her treatment early last year. She is now a first grader. Kennedy Grace is still experiencing some late term side effects that are yucky, but she is definitely a SURVIVOR and a testament to what prayer and good treatment can do! Please consider giving a donation to our Light The Night Team to help improve treatments and minimize these late term effects that Kennedy Grace is still struggling with on a daily basis! We are praying for better treatment for all patients diagnosed with blood cancers.

Read KG's story in her sweet mother's words by visiting http://www.caringbridge.com/visit/KGK
can you even imagine people's reaction when they see that sweet little girl walking around in that shirt???

Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto

Thanks to some "lessons" from her big bro, Cora's dancing has now dabbled in the world of robotics. Take a peek! (btw if you're getting tired of me posting videos of her dancing, just stop checking our blog. I will never tire of this! It's hilarious to me and such a blessing that she's strong and healthy enough to do it!!!)

School Daze!!!

Introducing CADE with his new grown up school haircut!!!! He's NEVER had his hair this short, but he wanted it cut and he loves that it doesn't get tangled! He looks like he's 15 to me!

HOORAY FOR PRE-K!!!

Run Run As Fast As You Can!

Cora started PreK yesterday (which reminds me I need to post her first day of school pictures).
SHE LOVES IT! Her teacher told her that she even gives out treats for cute outfits, so I'm pretty sure they were made for each other! So yesterday her first priority was to gather hugs from her two teachers last year, and then to get in there and get a "good seat."

She had a great day today. At dinner she was retelling to daddy and Cade what they did at school.
Cora "Daddy, today at school we made gingerbread mans, like the real ones that are cookies. And we put them on a tray and took them to the oven. Then later when my teacher went to get them out she just opened the oven door and BOOM!!! they just all jumped right up and ran right out of the oven! "

We all giggle! Cade's eyerolling ensues. I'm no psychic, but I'm pretty sure he was thinking, "geez Cora, you really believe that crap?" Rob says, "Whoa! They jumped out? Where do you think they went?"

Cora continues "Well we looked and looked all over the whole school for them. We looked in the sancutuary, the offices, the closet, the baby classroom, and even outside. I couldn't even play at recess because I was too busy looking all over for those guys. I sorta even felt a little tear, I almost cried because I worked so hard on mine, we all did! But my teacher said that we'll probably find them tomorrow."

Cade thinks and then looks at me, "mama, where'd they really put those gingerbreads?"
I assured him that I had no knowledge of what happened to the gingerbread men.

Cade says, "Cora, is your teacher fat?"

Cora replies with a very firm, NO CADE!! (she thinks her teacher is beautiful)

Cade says, "You sure, Cora? I think maybe she just ate them!"

Meet Survivor, Madison!!!

Here's the second of the survivors I'd like to introduce you to this month for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Look at these sweet faces!!! Who does that bald princess remind you of??? This is Madison.



Madison is four years old, just like Cora. Madison has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) just like Cora. Madison is treated at Backus Children's Hospital in Savannah, GA just like Cora. And Madison is a princess, just like Cora!!!

Madison was diagnosed about 7 months ago with ALL. She is a twin. This is her twin sister, Jaci with her above. Madison's mom has 4 children and Madison and Jaci are the youngest. Madison's story reminds me so much of Cora's. She is such a strong little girl with a great spirit! Madison has just finished her delayed intensification phase of chemotherapy and we're praying that her counts will stay up so that she will soon reach her much less intense maintenance phase!

Madison is another shining example of how effective prayer and research can improve treatment and save lives! Please help support the Leukemia Lymphoma Society by donating to our Light The Night Fundraiser to improve treatment for these little ones!
If you'd like to read more of Madison's story you can visit her caringbridge site at www.caringbridge.com/visit/madisonreesejones

Isle of Hope Bike Parade!!!

Happy Labor Day!

Clare Bear's 7 month Update!

I'm 7 months old!!! I'm growing and doing so many new things even since a month ago.
I weigh 16 pounds 6 ounces.
I eat lots of baby food and even real fruit when mom puts it in my Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder (which btw, happens to be mom's favorite new baby invention). I wave and say "hi" or something that closely resembles hi.
I LOVE dogs! I make this high pitched squeaky squeal everytime I see one!
I can dance to music. (cora's been teaching me)
I HATE my carseat.
I can sit up unassisted (although mom's not sure enough that she'd sit me on tile or concrete.)
And (drumroll, please......) I CAN CRAWL!!!! I can! I really can do it! I just started really getting around a few days ago. I'm very slow at it and I don't always go the direction I want to, but I can definitely do it. Today I crawled backwards from one side of the family room to the other! I can move myself from crawling position to sitting position.
I've tried drinking water from a sippy cup, but I'm not that good at it yet.
I have two bottom teeth.
There's only one complaint mom and dad have with me. I no longer sleep through the night. We're not really sure what happened, but I wake up 3 or 4 times each night and mom has to come in and give me my pappy and then I'll go back to sleep. It doesn't make mom to happy, but I just sleep better with that thing and I can't find it on my own. She's tried letting me "cry it out" but I just "cry and cry and cry."

We're gonna work really hard on that. Nobody's perfect, but I'm pretty close!!!
Happy Labor Day!
XOXOXO - Clara

Cora's "Addi Face Dancing"

We have a big girl friend named Addison. (the one who had the rockstar birthday party last year) She is on a competetive dance team and she's VERY good and animated and fun to watch! We went and watched her dance school's Wizard of Oz performance last Friday and it was great! Cora LOVED it! Last night I caught Cora doing her "Addi faces" while she danced in her room and I had to run for the camera!