So much to be Thankful for!

Here are some November highlights...bear with me.

My niece Natalia had a "Baking" birthday party with aprons, cupcakes, cookies, chocolate covered pretzels, personal pizzas and a TON of girls...and Mason.

Mason and my nephew Christian were the only boys, so they got chef facial hair!

Mason with the birthday girl!  (She is shy - if you can't tell ;-)

We went to my Grandma and Grandpa Buttars house after and Mason found his favorite toy at her house - the "blue car" that he always looks for first thing!

 THANKSGIVING 2010!

St. George, UT

(That sort of explains the swimming suits...it was freezing but the kids, the hub 

and Papa braved the cold!)

Papa teaching Mason about going under!

Mason's try :-)

The girls were out shopping - boys were home with the kids.  Brightyn was asleep...oh wait, nope, she was just emptying lotion bottle ALL OVER!!!  That purple shirt will forever smell like baby magic - which I am actually fine with!

Brightyn and Ty - such a great uncle!

GO BRONCOS!

Flexy!

 

Making the gingerbread house with Cam and Namma!

Lots of games!

All aboard Ty!!

Post #36 - Give Thanks!

Playing catch up...

...Crap.  I have fallen behind on this thing once again.  You see, I am fortunate enough to have such an amazingly wonderful husband who lets me take on several large projects at once...what a patient and loving man.  Watch for those adventures in future posts...

Here are some highlights of OCTOBER!  I figure it's better late then never, or at least that is what I choose to tell myself.

 CHRIS TURNS 30!!

Mason's friend MAX had a superhero party - Sarah (his Mom) does an amazing job - check out that face paint!!!  Mason was totally in character!  Thanks for the costume Jackie!

My baby girl turned 12 on me...

Girls trip with Eric to the Broncos game!  Thanks E!!

(BTW - it was the Raiders game - and it was horrible.)

Great company and great food though!!

 Mason had his preschool Halloween party and I got to 

volunteer that day!  So so so much fun!

The hubs in a tux.  Doesn't get much better then that!

DAVIS CONFERENCE CENTER GALA

 

Halloween 2010

Wet, but sooo much fun!

 

The one somewhat dry pic we got.  20 seconds later - DOWNPOUR!

Mason and Lex!

I feel like these pictures were taken AGES ago...

Post # 35 - New Years goal - keep this thing updated!

A Team Mason Foundation Christmas...

Our Christmas Tree - 2007 - PCMC

As you know - the holidays are approaching!  For us that means food, family, friends, celebrating the birth of Christ, more food and so much fun!  Along with all of the fun, we also approach a very sweet anniversary of sorts...

Our sick little Santa

Santa visiting ICS - Mason wasn't so sure about him...

We spent the holidays in the hospital with Mason while he recovered from his last chemo treatment and battled a very nasty fungal infection.  The month of December was the most challenging, tiring and one of the most heartbreaking times we had in the hospital.  It was the end of his treatment - we had set back after set back - or so it seemed after several months of them...we were tired.

Fighting through infection

So sweet

 

Sick baby, sad Mommy

Christmas Eve was my low being there with him.  Although we had THE BEST nurses who snuck us in an extra chair/bed so Chris and I could both be there together (which ended up scratching the entire floor in the room and sent us all into a small panic), it was a rough night.  Between Mason being so sick and throwing up on both of us, a bloody nose, our hot chocolate that we had saved for the night being SOOO terrible, and the fact that we were even there in the first place - this is when I had my first pity party.  I had tried to be so positive and active all the way - - - and I remember being really disappointed in myself because I could not shake the sadness I felt...

Christmas jammies - before throw up...

Christmas sweats - after throw up.

Well, the Lord works in mysterious ways, because Christmas Eve that year has now become one of my favorite days - ever...

Daddy reading to Mase

A blanket my sister-in-law Bobbi put together - a square from everyone in my family

Once Mason had stopped throwing up, we got things settled down,  got his cookies ready for Santa, and got him to sleep.  Then we started setting the gifts under our tree, put out our candy in the kidney bean trays (the ones you usually use while vomiting - that was my way of sticking it to cancer :-) and got ready for bed....that is when the magic started...

Cookies for Santa, stockings and puke catchers with candy :-)

Time after time - we had nurses bringing in all sorts of goodies for Mason!  We thought the items they had picked for him were sweet and we went about our night...but it didn't stop with just a few items...they started streaming in every few minutes!! 

Just the beginning...

Soon, we started telling them that he had enough and to give them to another child.  I will never forget the moment she said that there was an entire room full of gifts for the kids from the community and our huge stash was just the beginning...  it makes me cry just thinking about it.


That night was a reminder to me that God loves us and knows our needs.  A reminder that people are so kind and there is so much good in this world.  A reminder that Jesus truly loves the children and walks with them during their hardships.  He lightens our burdens and teaches us about love.  I would have never imagined how humbling and wonderful that experience would be for me.  I would have NEVER chosen that lesson to learn, but God knows us better then we know ourselves, and for that I am eternally grateful...

Each year, we try to do something to give back through the Team Mason Foundation.  This year, we want to do something a little different...


Because we know our sweet cancer kids are so amazingly taken care of, we want to focus on their parents and care givers this Christmas.  We want to make sure that there is something to wake up to for them, next to their special child's Christmas stash, to give them some hope and love for the holidays.  We want them to know they are being prayed for and looked after...


We had planned on doing a few baskets, but we just learned that they have added to the ICS unit at PCMC and what we were planning on doing - won't be enough...  We would also like to send a few baskets down to the PICU where Mason fought through his most critical fight!  We have had some great donations to help in the cause and we are so grateful for great friends and family that support Team Mason!  


Here are the items we are still in need of if you would like to participate! 


-Yummy lotions (nothing too smelly as it can bother some patients - think similar to aromatherapy line at Bath and Body)
-Nice shampoo/conditioners
-Card games
-DVD's
-CD's
-iTunes gift cards
-iPods or shuffles
-Guy stuff (Something that a dude would like)
-Books
-Magazines 
-Treats (chocolate, yummy store wrapped treats- nothing wrapped in at home can be accepted by the ICS floor)
-Anything else you might enjoy!
-You can also donate $$$ as some of the items we will get for each 
basket we will need to purchase (items like egg mattresses, gift cards to the cafe at the hospital to aid in food costs, some nice blankets among other items) 

**If you write a check you can write it off on your taxes via Team Mason!!!  Please make sure your checks are written out to Team Mason Foundation. 

We will need all donations by Monday, December 13th.  Please let me know if you would like to help out with our Team Mason Christmas!  You can email me at buttah76@hotmail.com


We wish you all a very happy and HEALTHY holiday season!


Post #34 - Giving back.