BUSY BUSY!

And lovin' it!
http://photographybykasey.blogspot.com/

Cha...Cha....Cha....

CHIA!

I finally found SOMETHING I can grow!

Blogapalooza!

Raisa started her own blog! I wasn't going to post it on here, but she talked me into it. She has been having alot of fun with it. I also helped one of her friends with hers. TOO FUN!!
http://i-friendz.blogspot.com/

Happy Feet

Two girls with way too much time on their hands LOL!

Larson's Valentine

Since I shared his sister's Valentine, Larson wanted me to share his too!

Back to Work!

And it feels SOOOOO good! I had an awesome session tonight with a little one year old. I will be posting a few sneak peaks on my photography blog http://www.photographybykasey.blogspot.com/

That is going to be one hard session to narrow down!

Here are a couple of my kids while messing around yesterday.

My Girl....and a thank you!

Here is my girl.......who actually wanted me to take some photos of her! I was messing around with a new Orchid backdrop I just got. Isn't it puuuuurdy! I have several one year olds coming for sessions this month and I think it will soon become a favorite of mine!

Actually, we used this photo to make up her Valentine cards! Here it is, along with another one of her best friend.

I am going back to work this week and am SO looking foreward to it! I will still post on this blog, however, I am trying to get my life back to normal now and not think of "cancer" too often. So, since we won't be going for any new scans or anything for 3 months and I am feeling GREAT, there won't be many medical updates. I want to thank everyone so much for all the support!!!!!!!!!!! Your prayers and thoughts have brought me to tears many times! They will NEVER be forgotten. I am such a different person now because of it. I am very blessed!

~Kasey

SCAN RESULTS

PET/CT scan-----No evidence of active cancer!
Nuclear Bone Scan-----No evidence of active cancer!
Chest XRay----Negative!

All scans still clear!

Dr. Ueno was real pleased how everything is going. My blood counts are still a tad low, but the Neutrophil Absolute Count is looking good. White count is still down a bit at 3.2.

Tumor markers are down to 44!!!! (Remember what I started with a year ago!) Normal is 35, but the Dr. said they are usually the last thing to creep down and they are still headed in the right direction.

So, we had a VERY good and short visit. I don't have to go back for 3 months. I will go back every 3 months for 2 years, then every 6 months for 2 years, then yearly (and boy am I looking foreward to that!). I am going to have my central line taken out here tomorrow. I will probably have a power port put in later in the Spring (they can do blood draws and infusions through this), however, my Dr. is trying to talk me out of it, so that is up in the air.

That all for now! Thanks for reading and sharing in my good news (and for the prayers)!

~Kasey

Off to Houston!

We leave for Houston tonight (not sure exactly what time our flight is--maybe around 7:30?). I can't believe it has been 2 months already! I will have scans on Tuesday, but we won't know results until Wednesday when we meet with my Doctor. We will fly home Wednesday night. I will post either Wednesday night or Thurday how it all went! Please keep us in your prayers!

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!

~Kasey

Here are a few snapshots from Christmas of the kids, Kevin and I and also a couple of Raisa's New Years Eve Party. Talk with you all soon!

~Happy New Year!~

Just having a little fun in PhotoShop! I hope everyone has a very happy new year! 8 is my favorite, lucky number, so I am thinking I will LOVE 2008!

We go back to Houston next Monday for scans on Tuesday and a visit with my stem cell Doctor on Wednesday. We will fly home Wednesday night. Just a quick visit!

I have been gearing up to start back to work in another week and a half. I am so excited! I will post some images from sessions on my Photography blog--
http://photographybykasey.blogspot.com/
So, be sure to start checking it out in a couple of weeks!

I have photos from Raisa's new year's eve party, but they are still on the cf card. I guess I am too lazy today to download them haha! We gave Raisa a digital camera for Christmas---I can't wait to see what she comes up with! So far, lots of photos of friends and her hamster. Speaking of the hamster, how many of you out there have kids with them? Do you know the feeling when they come up to you and say "Uhhhhh, MOM, I CAN'T FIND MY HAMSTER!". Ya, heard that tonight LOL! Luckily, we finally found it in a closet upstairs, where, coincidentally, we also keep his food!! Lesson learned for her. Now, in her defense, she has had a hamster since she was 9. (Her first one lived for 2 1/2 years). This is the first time this has happened. I hope the last haha!

You all have a great week and a HAPPY AND BLESSED NEW YEAR!!!

~Kasey

Merry Christmas!

RIP

RIP 'ol red! They finally totaled it out yesterday. Kevin went today and removed the all weather mats and the cordless headphones for the rear seat audio.

On the bright side though, we have found a new one! Same Salsa Red Pearl color too! It is in Lawrence, so we will be going up there next week after Christmas to pick it up. It will have more options than my old one too---navigation, moonroof, dvd, heated leather seats, etc. I will post a photo of my new one when we get it.

Just had to post the last photos of my van. I am still so thankful we all walked away from this without even a scratch on us. Thank God!

~Kasey

mmm...Recipes

Here is a great blog for some new recipes! I love the step by step photos! Those muffins on the first page look DELISH! I may have to try those!

http://thepioneerwomancooks.com/


I finally took some photos of our Christmas trees, nothing to spectacular, but thought I would share!


Our main tree, in the living room:




Dining room tree:

Larson's tree:

And, Raisa's tree:

~Nutcracker Parade~

What do I see when I walk into the family room? Why a nutcracker parade put on by my very own Larson! Lol, just had to share!

All is still good here! My bloodwork continues to rise and looks good. I am feeling great. I think I am ready to get back to WORK!!! So, for those of you on my list, I am going to start taking appointments after the first of the year! YA! I go back to Houston January 7-9 for scans. I will start sessions after that. I will only take a limited amount of appointments, as I cannot get stressed right now.

For those of you wondering where my van has been, it is sitting in the Toyota Collision Repair Center in Tulsa. Kevin and I were in a pretty good wreck down in Tulsa last week. Thank God for airbags and seatbelts (and some guardian angels!!). It was hard seeing my van all crushed up. I loved that van! I custom ordered it! Now, I have to find a new one, and you can bet it will look just like my other one! We will have to drive a bit to get one (Kansas City maybe?), but I will find just what I want. I am just glad everyone was alright and the kids were not with us. The driver of the other car was taken to the hospital, but was released that night and is ok.

That's all that's new here! I hope all of you are doing well and getting to enjoy the Christmas Season!

~Kasey

MRI result

I have known the results of this for almost a week, but did not have the actual report in my hands, so I didn't want to post yet.

Today, we saw the Doctor here and I got a copy of it. I am just so thrilled and happy I cannot describe it. Under the "Impression" it had 2 words----NORMAL EXAM. Everything in it was Normal, Normal, Normal. That's it!

Life is good!

~Kasey

Christmas Photos????

So, I take the kids out to try and get their Christmas photos---what a chore lol! This photo about sums it up!! (And those who know my kids will so get this!!! My kids are like night and day lol!)

Larson, trying his BEST to look so nice (ok, trying a bit too hard!) and Raisa, who could care less, trying to figure out WHY Larson would be trying so hard HA! One aims to please, the other, WELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL.......

Alright, in all fairness, they did take some good individual photos! That above photo just CRACKS ME UP! I am seriously considering getting it in about a 20x24 to put on my wall! Shoot, who needs all perfectly posed photos---we know that is so not them together haha!
Here are a couple of their individual photos:

Here is a collage with both of them---see, no posed photo with these two! I guess that's what I get for wanting a nice, posed photo with both of them looking at me and smiling and pretending like they are so happy and loving and just the perfect kids! I guess they are the perfect kids, in their own ways!

Monday, November 19

I know, I know, I am sorry for not updating sooner, but remember, no news is good news! We have been home for a week now and have been enjoying every minute of it! I did come down with a cold and had to be put back on my Neupegen shots (the one in the stomach), but nothing serious came of it and it is gone now. I had the MRI on Saturday, so that's done. I will know the results later this week. Medically, that's about it. I am doing really well. The fatigue is getting much better every day. I can drive now. I am just needing to advoid crowds, but I am able to go to Wal Mart when they aren't so busy. We went to the mall in Bartlesville last Friday. It is nice to get out.

I have been keeping busy making Christmas Ornaments. Here are a few that I have done:

The kids and I are going to make some dough ornaments and paint them today. We are turning what used to be the daycare tree in the dining room to their "homemade ornament tree". I am excited about Christmas, can ya tell??? I can't wait to do some more Christmas shopping. I am going to have to order online more this year than in the past (just to advoid those crowds!). If any of you are struggling for a gift for someone, check out this site---it is my new favorite! Be sure to check her archives, as there are MANY gift ideas there too (and if you check out her monthly freebies, there is a coupon to print out for a free shake at Arby's!) Here is the link: http://katyshops.wordpress.com/ Enjoy!

HAPPY THANKSGINVING TO ALL OF YOU!

~Kasey

I take that back...THIS

IS WHAT I HAVE WAITED FOR................................

A personal call from from my stem cell Doctor on my cell on the way home yesterday, just to tell me how excited he was. He had just received a personal call from the radiologist who was reading all my scans I had Wed. and Thurs. (which they ususally don't do), but she was amazed. All my scans are 100% CLEAR!! My Doctor used the word "FANTASTIC!" like 4 times.

WHOOOOHOOOO!

So, was the past 2 months worth it?? YOU BET!

We are home now, and will be until January. My Doctor is coordinating care with Coffeyville so I can have my blood counts monitored here. He is also going order an MRI of the pelvis. NOT because they found anything suspicious that needs further scanning, just thoe opposite (and I verified that with him several times!). My scans were SO good, they want to get a baseline MRI done now.

Just sharing my great news!

Thanks for reading it!

~Kasey

What I have waited for!

I got released from my Doctor today!!!!!

I have to have a PET scan tomorrow, but we are free to leave Houston after that. We have our apartment until Friday, so our plans are to leave Friday morning to head back to C'ville. We won't have to come back to Houston until January. I will have to have my bloodwork monitored in C'ville and my Doctor here in Houston will be working with the Doctor there so I can receive any medication or transfusions at home, if needed. I also still need to advoid big crowds and wear a mask if I am around too many people for a few more weeks, but that is a small price to pay for coming HOME!

SEE YA ALL THIS WEEKEND!

~Kasey

Monday, Nov. 5th

We're back in Houston. We had a great weekend with the kids!!! And those of you we got to see, it was great to see you. We left C'ville a little after noon on Sunday, and we got to our apartment at a little past 11 pm. The drive was long, but went well.

The cast and crew of "The Sound of Music" did an outstanding job. Raisa enjoyed it so much. Thanks to Grandma, Grandpa, Brittany, and Kari Vannoster for making sure she was always at practice when she needed to be, and got home OK.

Larson won their soccer game Saturday. He played great!! Glad we got to see it.

Kasey's bloodwork today showed low hemoglobin (red cells), so we go back tonight at 6:30 for a blood transfusion. Other than that, all is good. Her nurse said she didn't see any reason for us to not go home this week.

Kasey will see Dr. Ueno on Wednesday, so we should know then for sure. (As in the words of our great leader: Dr Ueno is "the decider".)

Kasey doesn't have any appointments for Tuesday, so maybe we'll sleep in for a change!!

So, we'll post Wednesday what we find out!!

Kevin