Joey Starts Soccer

Joey has been doing really well with his treatments since he started maintenance so we decided he could play soccer this year.  He wears a piece of foam rubber on his chest so he won't be hurt if the ball hits his port or if he falls on his chest.

He did really well in his first game - even scored 2 goals!  He doesn't have much endurance and got tired pretty fast, but I think that will get better as he keeps playing.  It's great to see him out there playing again. He has a real competitive nature and gives it everything he can when he plays.

This was when he scored his second goal...

Changes and Field Trips

I've been working 40-60 hours a week for the last 12 years at the same company.  For a number of reasons, I decided it was time for some kind of change, so I changed to part-time, working 30 hours a week and one of those days from home.  It might not seem like much, but it feels like a big change for me.  I have more opportunities to do things I want to do and to spend with my kids.

So, over the last week and half, I've volunteered to help on 3 different school field trips: 1 for Joey and 2 for Katherine.  I've been spending more time with others' kids than normal, but it's been fun.

Easter and Spending Time with Family

Some of my cousins and their families came to visit for a few days and we got to hang out a bit. We took advantage of the spring weather and spent time fishing and playing outside.

We had sort of a small group for Easter Sunday at my Mom's, but it was nice and relaxing.  I tried to get some good photos of the kids in their Easter clothes, but only got a few that I really liked.

Jon and Katherine ran the 2-mile Easter Sun Run, on the day before Easter.  It happened to rain, but didn't stop anything. It was Katherine's first run, and she did really well.  At some point, she decided to stop running with Jon and go on ahead.  She wasn't even winded when she was done. This now has me thinking that we should get her into running more. 

 We had sort of a small group for Easter Sunday at my Mom's, but it was nice and relaxing.  I tried to get some good photos of the kids in their Easter clothes, but only got a few that I really liked.

This little guy decided to join us in the sun for a while.

 Yes, my 6-yr-old son likes to pose for pictures (most of the time).

Those of you with more than one child can relate to this. No, he didn't actually punch her, but he was pretending to because he was getting annoyed.

More Soccer

Katherine's indoor soccer season ended in March and the outdoor season started right after. It's a pretty competitive league and she has improved a ton since she started last fall. 

Lots of Fun

We've been doing tons of fun stuff with the LLS Man/Woman of the Year campaign.  There are too many pictures to post here, but you can see them on Joseph's FB page, Joseph's Journey.

Maintenance!

Joey is officially in the maintenance phase of his treatments.  This is the final phase and will last about 14 months. Overall, he'll be getting less chemo, although it may not seem like it, since he'll get a leg shot every week.

He had his first shot today and he did really well with it.  It helps that we used the magic cream to numb it.  He still felt some of it, but he was ok.  His leg hurt for a little while afterwards and limped a little bit back to the car.  It was a little more of a stick then I was expecting.  It's more than an immunization type of shot.  It left a bigger hole and bled more than I was expecting, but I'm sure we'll get used to them soon enough.

Hard Treatment Week

Joey had a spinal tap on Monday. As usual, he did really great, and did everything they asked him to do.  He also got Vincristine in his port and started his 7 days of steroids.  His back was sort for a couple of days but he's been doing pretty well this week.  The steroids are really taking effect but he hasn't had any bone pain, which he has had every other time he's gotten the VCR.