Smithsonian

The most Glorious Birthday

2010-06-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are. Today, June 9th, 2010 would have been Kai's 4th birthday. I woke up this morning and immediately thought, "Oh! What a joy it must be to hear the angels singing and to be celebrating with our Heavenly Father!" And that it exactly what my baby gets to do!!!

I can still remember the day Kai entered this world. He was alert as alert can be....scoring a perfect 10 on his Apgar Test (the nurses were sure proud of him for that!). But, for as alert as he was, he was also so peaceful. When the nurses were done with him and they brought him back to our room, his blonde hair was sticking straight up off his head and I will never forget his "lucky spot". He had a purely white-blonde streak of hair on the side of his head. He was precious and cuddly and he made my life complete. I remember that day so vividly and I just remember thinking how blessed we were to have this child to raise and love.

Then, one year later.....we celebrated Kai's first birthday. It was an amazing day....a hawaiian themed luau with surfboards galore. To think, at the time we were celebrating the first of what we thought would be so many. How much we took for granted in assuming that he would be here with us for MANY years.

Then, less than a couple weeks after that party...he was diagnosed. His second birthday was a day that we truly realized to celebrate each moment and we truly reflected on how fragile his little life was. But, we also took the time to just simply celebrate him and his life. On his actual birthday, he had an LP and a doctors appointment, so we spent the majority of that day at CHLA, but he was doing great. We had a huge circus themed birthday party that year. His counts were up and he was able to take part in the celebration.

Then, a few months later, he relapsed, sending him into the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, where he celebrated his 3rd and final birthday. That day, more than any of the other birthdays, has definitely stuck out in my mind. I don't know if it is because it was the most recent, or if it's because it was the last, or if it is simply because of the joy he showed that day, regardless of his circumstances. His birthday party was in his isolated hospital room. This was the special day that the hosptial allowed Ethan to "gown-up" and enter the room. He decorated a special pound cake and opened his presents and blew bubbles and listened to music with very close family, friends, and nurses ~ people that Kai simply adored! I will never forget him sitting on his bed with his little hospital table in front of him.....he had his party hat on and he yelled out with the most excited little voice, "I'm having a birt-day!" He found so much joy in the simplest of things.
Here we knew, with an even greater understanding, that this could possibly be his last birthday, but I honestly didn't think it would be.

And here we sit today....no pictures to show for what his fourth birthday would be like. I can't run up to him and give him a hug and kiss and tell him Happy Birthday. But, I can rejoice in knowing that all those birthday parties and special celebrations we had with him are so menial in comparison to the day he is having today and everyday from now into all eternity. I can take the days we had and find JOY in the memories we had with him and I can find immeasurable JOY in knowing that I can live my life to serve the Lord and walk faithful in the path He has set before me, so one day, I CAN be there with him for all of eternity as well.

So....happy birthday, Kai. Thank you making my life complete and for teaching me to find JOY in all circumstances. I will love you forever!

Video Montage

2010-05-05T14:03:00.000-07:00

I know that many of you have gotten the CaringBridge update from a few days ago....but if you haven't.....

A dear friend and parent of one of Wes' athletes, put together a video montage of Malachi for his memorial service. The first time we saw the video was at the memorial service and BOY OH BOY did it touch our hearts. It is a video that we still view AT LEAST once a week. We truly love to look back at all the memories of our sweet Kai. I think the most special thing about the video is the fact that there are still pictures and videos where we can hear Kai's voice again. It is such a joy to watch EVERYTIME we watch it. I love that Ethan loves to watch the video. Ethan even has his own little commentary to the video....sometimes we love that and other times we just want it quiet so we can hear :) It has helped to keep our memory of Kai so vivid and clear, especially for Ethan.

Mark has put the montage up on his website and I encourage all of you to go check it out....whether or not you have seen it before or not. It is a tear-jerker, but it is an awesome reminder of how our time here on Earth is limited, but we too can share in an eternal life with our Creator IF and only IF we choose to have faith in Him alone.

To view the montage: www.lifeisphun.com Click on the HEAVEN link.

ENJOY!

And, Mark, thank you for the endless hours and time you took to make something so special for our family. We will forever remember your expression of love through this special video!

6 Months

2010-04-29T14:54:00.000-07:00

Well, today, April 29th, 2010 marks exactly one year since Malachi received his bone marrow transplant. Last year, at 11:35, he was wiped out on his hospital bed, and those little stem cells were making their way into his little body. Within 14 minutes, they were all in. I can still remember the moment it was done, when two of the nurses, Claudia and Stacy, began to sing Happy Birthday to Kai, celebrating a "new start" of a new life. Little did we know at that time, that those little cells would only carry him exactly 6 more months. Today, also marks the exact 6 month point that he has been gone from our presence and in the presence of our Lord. I can only imagine the celebration that he sees and takes part in everyday. Since October 29, 2009 - not a day has gone by when I haven't thought of and LONGED to see my boy again. I can still so vividly see those last few moments with him. I will never forget looking into his eyes as he looked into mine and seeing his little face focus as his breath gradually faded away. I can still vividly feel the weight of him as I held him that morning. Some of those memories are hard to relive...very hard to relive. However, I focus on our coming joy. One day, we will be reunited with him and our Lord. Oh, what a glorious day that will be!!!!

For those of you that wish to see.....below are a few pictures from our graveside service.....it might be tough for some people to see, so if so....just skip this part. At the end, is a picture of his gravestone.

Ethan with his cousins

I know that it has been a LONG time since I have updated. We have some work to do on our internet connection. Hopefully our internet will be up and running soon, so we can get back to a more routine of blogging. Lots has gone on these past few months....too much for this post. For now, just truly be grateful for the lives the Lord has so graciously blessed us with and may we all strive to live our life to fully honor Him.

Make-A-Wish Disney Trip, October 2009

2010-01-19T14:39:00.000-08:00

I know that these pictures are so long overdue. It has been about 3 months since this trip and I contemplated not putting them up because of the time lapse, but I just couldn't skip sharing the last special trip we had with our Kai. So....enjoy!

On Thursday around 11am, we were picked up at our house by a limo. We were off and on our way to Disneyland (or as the boys call it "Mickey's Castle" or "Dizzyland"). However, Oaks Christian suprised us by coordinating with the Make-A-Wish Foundation a little "parade" for Malachi. So, the limo took us to OCHS first, where we drove through the school, where all the students, staff, community members, and close family and friends wore their best YELLOW shirt and made signs, blew bubbles and chanted and cheered for Malachi all the way through campus. The limo was escorted by a fire engine that the boys got to climb on for a little bit as well. It was a little overwhelming for Kai, but yet, he was just in awe of everything! It was such an incredible experience to see firsthand the amount of people (and knowing that there were many more than just these) that were praying for Malachi and supporting our family. I am not sure how to even put into words the thankfulness we have and the gratitude we hold to everyone who was involved in this event. Our hearts were TRULY overwhelmed by the love that was shown that day.
Following are just a few pictures of the parade....

The fire department gave Kai his own real fireman jacket, with 'SMITH' on the back. Look at Kai's expression....like, "That's for me!?!?!" So precious!

The following picture is one of our favorite from the "parade." His eyes show discomfort, yet at the same time, there is such a peace about his little face. This picture was also in his slideshow at the memorial and everytime we watch it Ethan always says this is his favorite picture.

At the end of the "parade", Oaks joined everyone together and said a prayer for our little Kai and for our weekend adventure at Disneyland. And....off we went....

Upon arriving in Anaheim, we unpacked our bags in the hotel and decided to get the boys some dinner. We took them to the Rainforest Cafe, where they both fully enjoyed their meal. In fact, Malachi ended up eating more than Ethan!!! Then, we went back to the hotel to get some rest for the next two days.....
This is back in the hotel, with his Rainforest Cafe special "cup":

Then, Friday morning, we headed out to the park....

This was our last family picture, with all four of us....

At Goofy's Kitchen with Cinderella..

Ethan with Goofy

Kai making "mad faces" with Goofy

Ok....a little story about this next picture....
This was the only time we saw Chip and Dale on our whole Disneyland trip. However, the night before Malachi died, in the evening....he was in and out of sleep and he was mumbling words and every once in awhile, he would speak clear enough for us to tell what he was saying. Almost everything he said that night related to the Disneyland trip and different things that we saw or did on the trip. Well, during the night, when he started to struggle a bit, his speaking turned into pure mumbling. Around 3am, though, with the most clear voice, he YELLED out, "I SEE CHIP AND DALE!" It was precious to know that he was reliving that last trip that we SO cherished. Those were his last words, and although that seems silly that they were, we were so happy that he was reliving such a special memory.
So, here is his last picture with Dale:

After breakfast, we walked over to the park. Kai did not want to sit in his buggy and ride, instead he wanted to walk. That was the longest he had walked in a LONG time, but he enjoyed every moment of it. He sat and rested for a few minutes, so we thought it would be a good photo opportunity. So, we asked Ethan to go sit next to him......well, Ethan resisted quite a bit....and this is the result...

You can see that it is taking quite a strain on Kai to sit and smile, but he is trying so hard and he is also trying SO hard to get Ethan to smile for us. Just another reminder of Kai's gentle spirit.

Back in the buggy....you can tell he is just so tired. His skin is peeling and his face is covered in petichia (broken blood vessels).....but boy did he enjoy the day!

Upon walking into the entrance of Disneyland....all Kai wanted was a BIG PINK LOLLIPOP. It was quite hysterical, but he did enjoy it!

We even ran into one of our favorite nurses down there....Miss Lindsey! What a surprise and a special treat for Kai!!!

Kai, enjoying his milk!!!

Here, the boys are enjoying a special Meet and Greet time with Mickey and Minnie. Mickey and Minnie stayed with the two boys and colored and played little games with the two of them for over 30 minutes. It was such a special opportunity and both boys truly LOVED it!!!

Mid-day nap back at the hotel:

Watching the Pixar Parade....this is one of my all-time favorite shots of Malachi...

Just relaxing and enjoying the ride...this was a typical look for him in his last few days with us...

Pretending to be "Malachi Pirate"

My boy and me....a love like no other....

Daddy and Kai....ready to ride!!!

The cousins came down the second day to join us...here we are trying to get them all to look at the camera and smile at the same time....virtually impossible....

Tigger fell in love with Kai...

The cousins :) ....

On Sunday morning....the day of our departure, Kai took a turn for the worse. He was sick to his tummy and in pain...quite a few doses of morphine later and we were heading home. This is the car ride back home...

That pretty much sums up the Make-a-Wish Disneyland Trip. We are so thankful to Make-a-Wish for going above and beyond to making our last weekend with our boy one of the most special weekends in our life. We will forever cherish the memories that were created in those few days. They will live on in our hearts and minds forever.
When I look back over the pictures from that special weekend, my heart aches and longs to be with my Kai and to take him there once more. But, I know that Disneyland cannot even begin to compare with the beauty and glory he is seeing everyday. That is how I find my peace and my strength....knowing that there is nothing I could do here on Earth or nothing that I could show him that he "missed out" on...because in all honesty, we are missing out on the true life of Heaven.
As Mercy Me puts it so honestly in their song "Homesick"..
"I close my eyes
And I see your face.
If homes where my heart is,
Then I'm out of place.
Lord won't you give me strength
to make it through some how.
I've never been more homesick than now."

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T20:10:00.001-08:00

Well, here we are....we find ourselves, once again, at the start of a fresh new year. However, it just doesn't feel that fresh to me. You may be surprised, and you may not....but we have been told, by a numerous amount of people, that "thank goodness 2009 is over....welcome 2010!" and "Wow, 2009 sucked! We can't wait for 2010" or "2009 was the worst year ever, and I am sure you would agree!"

Wes and I sat down tonight and talked about all those sort of comments we have received....and it was amazing how much our minds were on the same page about them. We totally disagree.

Yes...
2009 was probably the most difficult year we have EVER had to endure.

Yes...
It was excruciatingly painful to say goodbye to our 3 year old son hear on Earth.

Yes...
We have NEVER experienced a trial like this before.

BUT......even greater than all that...

2009 was a year that we will cherish for the rest of our lives.

2009 was a year that we experienced God's unabounding grace first hand.

2009 was a year that we experienced how to trust God in ALL matters.

2009 was a year that we learned how to love like we have never known before.

2009 was a year that we were put out of our "comfort zone" and put in the limelight for the sole purpose of displaying God's glory.

2009 was a year that will forever leave an impact on my mind and heart.

Honestly, I didn't want 2009 to end. I know this may sound weird, but I truly cherished every LAST moment we had with our precious Malachi. It's almost like I wish we could just freeze in time and at least keep the memory of him as fresh as can be in our minds.
There is also this side of me that knows that God gives us trials to prepare us for what is to come. When I think of this, I can't help but think...."Ok Lord....is there another trial, even bigger than this one still yet to come?!?!" There is this little piece of me that hopes that living without Malachi will be the hardest trial I ever face (and trust me....I is extremely difficult)....but I know that God never allows us to be tested beyond what we can handle. So, with that, I just have to know that whatever it is that God has laid out for us in the future (be it 2010 or 2050), we will "consider it all joy." (James 1:2)

So, we look back at 2009 with pure joy, knowing that the testing of our faith was for God's glory. And honestly, what greater joy than knowing that our little boy is know with his Lord!!!!

With that said, we pray that this year brings many blessings to all of you who read this blog and follow along with our progress. But, mostly, we pray that you realize that each and every trial the Lord puts in front of you is a test of your faith. A test that is only meant to bring Him FULL glory and honor. We pray that you find pure joy in each trial and look to Him through it all. We love you and pray that you all have a wonderful and blessed New Year!

...Two Months...

2009-12-29T17:27:00.001-08:00

Today, December 29th, marks two whole months that our precious Malachi has been in the presence of our Lord. To me....in many ways, it feels MUCH longer. I really miss his presence here....his smile, his voice, his cuddles, his kisses, his silly faces......everything!

Christmas this year just wasn't the same. We thoroughly enjoyed the face that we were home with a healthy child. Christmas morning, we were reminiscing about these past few years....since Wes and I have had kids, we have only had one Christmas with everyone healthy....that was in 2005, when Ethan was about 5 months old. In 2006, Ethan had a 103 fever all day, but Malachi (about 6 months old) was healthy. In 2007, Malachi was in the middle of his heavy chemo from his first diagnosis. Kai was home that Christmas but just simply miserable and we ended up taking him in the day after Christmas for a fever. In 2008, Malachi had relapsed a mere 6 days before Christmas, so last Christmas was spent in the hospital. I never would have imagined, in a million years, that he wouldn't be with us this Christmas. I mean, I always knew that Malachi's condition was serious, but last year when he relapsed, I really didn't think we would be where we are today without him. To think...he did not even make it one full year from his relapse.
As hard as this Christmas day was, we were kept busy. We hosted my family this year, and honestly, I think that was the best thing for us. It kept us busy and occupied, but my heart still thought of my Kai OFTEN!

I can honestly say, that since Malachi died, I can count on one hand the days that Ethan has NOT mentioned him. He talks about Malachi almost everyday. He tells us VERY often that he "wishes Malachi could come out of Heaven to play with him" or "I miss my Malachi." It breaks my heart to hear, and often, the only reply I can give Ethan is that "I wish it too, but Kai is much MUCH MUCH happier where he is and I can't wait until the day I get to go to Heaven and be with Jesus and Kai and I hope and pray that you can go too!" It's hard to hear how much Ethan misses HIS Kai!

Other than that.....not too much has gone on here. Last week, Wes and I went away for a two days...up to San Luis Obispo to celebrate our 6th Anniversary. We talked about how we never would have imagined the road that the Lord has taken us on in these past 6 years. But, we also talked about how we wouldn't trade these 6 years for anything! I look forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for us in the future. However, there is a part of me that is a little nervous....our trials prepare us for what is to come....right now, I don't know much that could seem worse to me....but, I know that the Lord will only give us what we can handle. So, I can say with confidence, that I will rely on the Lord with the years to come.

Tomorrow (WED)...if you think about it....could you please say a little prayer for us. We are heading back to the "special park where Malachi's old body is" (that's what Ethan calls it) to pick out a headstone for Malachi. I know it will be tough as this is the final step in the burial process for Kai.

Just Keep Moving....Just Keep Moving.

2009-12-17T13:26:00.000-08:00

Know that I still have a few pictures to still post...like our Make A Wish trip to Disneyland and so on...but I just have a few things on my mind that I wanted to jot down first.

This past week has been full of events. Last weekend, we spent all day Saturday re-arranging one room in the house....the boys room. Wes and I were planning on getting a bunk bed for the boys for Christmas this year. They have shared a room from the first day that there were "TWO" of them. However, their room is pretty small, so the only way to keep them together would have been to get bunk beds. So, in the meantime, they have both still been in the cribs (which were changed into daybeds), but they are still pretty small. Well, there is no need for a bunk bed this Christmas, so instead early Saturday morning, we took down Kai's bed. All his little stuffed animals were bagged up and put in the closet. (I hope to one day put a shelf in the kids' playroom and put his animals and soft little blankets on there...and one day give them to Ethan). After that, we converted Ethan's crib daybed into a real BIG BOY bed. It was a lifestyle crib, so all we had to do was order the side boards, and it converts into a big bed....actually...MUCH bigger than we thought. We thought it would convert into a twin bed....nope! It's a full bed. And it takes up almost the whole room! Anyway, we got his bed made. One of the first things Ethan said to us upon making the big bed was, "Kai was sick in the hospital. He came home and got a big bed and he died." Well, when we came home from the hospital this last time, Kai had a hospital bed that he slept in. I think Ethan was thinking...."If I go into a big bed....am I going to die?" So, we reassured him that Kai went into a hospital bed and it was because he was sick. It's interesting how a little mind like Ethan puts things together.
We have noticed that since he has had his big bed, with no other bed in his room this past week, he tells us a LOT, "I miss my Malachi." He told me of his dream that he had Sunday evening.
In his dream....
Ethan was on the floor crying and God came and Ethan said, "Who are you?" God said, "I am God." Ethan said that Kai was peeking out from behind him. So, Ethan said, "Can you stay here so I can play with Malachi." God said, "No." So, Ethan asked, "Can I go to Heaven so I can play with Malachi for just a little bit?" God said, "Ok." So Ethan went to Heaven and played for Malachi for just a little bit.

When Ethan told me this dream, my heart just melted because I realized just HOW much Ethan is constantly thinking of Kai. What a dream that must have been for Ethan! I know that he can NOWHERE near comprehend what Heaven is truly like, but for a child...that must have been a pretty awesome dream! It was so simply stated and yet such a true and raw feeling expressed.

Tuesday morning, when Ethan was in the bath, he told me, "I wish I could go to Heaven and see Malachi. I miss him." I told him that I did too! Ethan said, "I love God. And if I love God, I can go to Heaven." It opened, yet another door where I was able to try to explain to him that we have to love God with all our heart and want to please Him and worship Him. We have to repent and be sorry for our sins and believe that believing in Jesus is the ONLY way to Heaven. Malachi's life was such a great testament to so many people, but more and more I see that his death has been the greatest testament to his brother. I don't mean that in a bad way, but I truly hope that Malachi's death can be used to possibly bring salvation to his big brother. What a gift that would be!

Last night, Ethan performed in his Cubbies Christmas Play. It was quite cute and yes, he actually wore the angel costume and loved wearing it. He sang his song JOY TO THE WORLD like a champ. (Of course, when he wasn't singing, he was sitting on the stage with the other angels....but our little angel was using wearing his halo like a Star Trek guy in front of his eyes....oops!) Before the show, Ethan told me that "since he was an angel, God was gonna let him peek at Malachi in Heaven....for just a little bit."

This was just a little quick post to let you all know that we are still here. We are moving forward, but still in awe of the work that the Lord did in our hearts and continues to do in our lives. I have to realize this: living with leukemia is hard, watching my son die from leukemia was agonizing, but moving on in life without him is excruciating. It is ONLY by the grace of God that we are able to continue on. We pray that the Lord continues to sustain in His everlasting arms. He has been so gracious to our family and we pray that we can adequately give Him the praise He so deserves.

CHP VISIT

2009-12-05T20:41:00.000-08:00

Well, the day before heading down to Disneyland for our Make A Wish Trip, the California Highway Patrol came to the house to visit the boys. They came with a patrol car and a motorcycle. The boys got to climb all through the car (front and back), talk on the intercom, turn on the siren, climb on the motorcycle, and we even got to go for a ride around the block with lights and sirens blaring!!!! They had a really great time. Before they left, they even gave each of the boys a gift. It was such a special visit. Huge thanks to "Aunt Tina" for arranging this and a huge thanks to Shelby for coming and photographing the day.

Here are a few of the pictures....enjoy!

We were waiting in the house for them to arrive and Shelby got a few cute shots of the boys playing....
Kai:

Ethan:

The boys started to get a little antsy, so we went out front and took a few shots with all the "Fall" decorations on our porch:

This picture melts my heart. Looking at his eyes...you can just tell he is sick.

So sweet :)

I think this is the last "posed" pictures of just the two boys. A picture that stands out in my mind forever. You gotta love these boys (at least I do!) :)

I just love this picture of Ethan!

I can't help but smile when I look at this picture....Wes is just SO excited to tell Kai something and Kai is just soaking it all in.....so precious!

PROOF: Braces will be MANDATORY :)

Every time I see pictures of Kai from his last month alive, I just can't get over how different his whole face looks. He changed SO much!

Kai getting his Honorary CHP Badge

Officer showing the boys the ropes. (Rumor has it....this officer was on a family vacation during this time, but heard about Malachi and wanted to take part in the day, so he came just to be able to do this special visit....he was SO amazing with the boys and extremely warm and gentle with Kai....it was very special!)

Here, Kai gets on the loud speaker and says in his soft, gentle, high-pitched voice, "Good Morning" and "I love you Mommy!" The officer told him to say, "PULL OVER" and even when he said that, he just sounded so sweet :)

AND.....here is the opposite....Ethan taking SUCH joy in YELLING "PULL OVER" so practically all of the city of Moorpark could hear....so funny!

Two Thumbs Up for the Motorcycle :)

Ethan had the most fun telling Malachi to sit in the back. Once Malachi was there...he kept telling him..."You are under arrest...I am taking you to JAIL!!!" Kai just played along and had a blast!

The Ride Along

At the end of the visit, they gave Kai a really cool die-cast ANGELS plane...he loved it. Ethan got a cool Superman that flies from the ceiling. :)

Group Shot...if you look closely, the officer is about to arrest Wes :)

A picture of PURE gentleness :)

Our litte Devil, Ethan

2009-12-03T19:16:00.001-08:00

Ok...so you probably looked at the post and were wondering "WHAT?"
Well....let me explain.

Ethan started Cubbies this year. In two weeks, they put on a little Christmas show for the parents and families. Ethan's Cubby Group was assigned to be the "ANGELS." So, tonight, we had to go to the Fabric Store to get fabric to make an Angel costume. As we were looking at patterns and found the one for the angel costume....on the cover of the pattern was a picture of an angel and a devil (keep this in mind!)

Later as we were having fabric cut, Ethan was getting inpatient and said, "C'mon, let's go!" We told him that we were getting fabric cut for his Angel costume for Cubbies. I wish I could have captured a picture of his face at that moment.....the jaw dropped and the face was of TOTAL disgust as he yelled out, "Angels are for GIRLS!!!!" I SO knew he would say that. So, we told him that he had to be an angel because that is what his Cubby Group had to dress as. He looked at me and said, "How about if I am just that red guy with the horns in the picture?!?!"
To which I replied..."Yes, you are THAT "guy" everyday!" HA HA HA

Coming Home from the Hospital

2009-12-03T10:18:00.001-08:00

We arrived home to our house being ENTIRELY decorated and ready for Fall. What a special treat this was for our family, especially the boys! They really enjoyed the scarecrow on the porch (and LOVED that he had a sword in his hand). Thank you to the MANY Oaks families that put this together. What a gracious gift of LOVE!!!

The boys immediately went into the backyard, where a track was mowed into our lawn. They spent quite a few hours going around this track (Kai mostly in the wagon and Ethan was running, of course!)

Chillin' with Dad :)

This was a typical "look" by the end of the day. You can see the discomfort in his eyes.....yet, he is still trying to say "Cheese" and smile. You gotta love this boy!

We made SMORES one night (thanks to Steen!) and I just couldn't resist putting this picture up. Look at Ethan's face as he is watching the marshmallow burn to pieces. PRICELESS..... HA HA HA.

Kai blowing out the Marshmallow that caught on fire! :)

After SMORES, "Steen" made little bear cubs out of Construction paper and she told the boys a story about how Mommy bear lost all her little cubs. She hid the cubs all over the house and we turned the lights out and gave each boy a flashlight to go on a bear hunt.

WOW - Look at how many cubs Kai found. The boys had so much fun searching for the bears together. Thank you Steen for your creativity and helping to make the evening SO special for all of us. (I think it was even more special for us to just sit there and watch them together!) :)

LONG OVERDUE

2009-12-03T09:25:00.000-08:00

Ok....So I know that these pictures are from the last couple MONTHS, but I couldn't move on and not share them with all of you. I will be dividing them up in separate posts, because....well honestly, they are worth their own posts. These are from our last month with our precious boy....days we will FOREVER cherish. I hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed taking part in them!
OUR LAST HOSPITAL VISIT:

This picture was taken a day after we found out the news that his Leukemia had returned, yet again. Looking at the joy in his face...you would never know it!

Kai with one of his doctors, Dr. Davidson, who has been with Kai since the first day he was diagnosed back in August of 2007. She has been a gift from the Lord to our family (rumor has it....Kai was her very first patient)....we love her with all our hearts. She poured so much love and devotion into him on top of taking care of the medical side.

Sitting and watching cartoons together.....savoring every last moment

Kai with Auntie Alison

Grandma and Grandpa with the boys

Kai with Dr. Mascarenhas (his main hem/onc. doctor). The work and effort he put into designing treatment blocks and the resources he drained to help Kai fight this terrible disease....it's amazing to see what he has done. We truly admire ALL his work and love shown to our family.

Kai's first and last Star Wars battle with Ethan.

Kai with his Mary (BMT nurse). They had such a special bond. She would dance and sing to the Wiggles with him...he just simply ADORED her. :) We love her and she will ALWAYS hold a special place in our heart for the love she showed our boy and our family.

Still ROCKIN' OUT on his Wiggles Guitar

ROAR!!!! (I just love the boys faces in this picture....especially Ethan's!!!)

I just couldn't resist this picture of Kai with Grandma and Grandpa...so precious!!

Kai Kai with his "Worrie" - boy would his whole face light up when she walked in the room. They had a special bond from the day he was born :)

Kai with his Uncle Jimmy :)

The Three Amigos (Ralph, Jon, and Wes)
These guys go WAY back with Wes....it meant so much to him and us that they came all the way down to CHLA to visit :)

Kai Kai with Auntie Andie :)

Kai and "his" Dayna. She was SOOOO special to him. He would call her "MY DAYNA." We would tell him the night before when she would be back at CHLA the next day and he would just light up and be SO excited to see her. And when he woke up, that was usually the first thing he asked, "Is MY Dayna here?" We love you, Dayna!!!

The last day in the hospital. Getting ready to go home for the last time. I can't believe how much he changed, especially in the last month.

One Month

2009-11-29T20:31:00.000-08:00

Well, today, November 29th, 2009, marks one month that Malachi has been living in the presence of the Lord. WOW! I just LONG and LONG for the day when we are together again in the presence of the Lord. I don't have words to express the ache that my heart feels when I think about it.

Today,
Ethan: "Mommy, I wish I could go to Heaven."

Mommy: "Why?" (as I wanted to know what his heart was thinking.)

Ethan: "So I could play with Malachi. Then, I could come back and see you."

Oh, if it were only that easy. It did allow us to talk a little bit about the fact that Heaven in permanent. Once you get there, trust me....you won't want to come back. I told him that hopefully one day, we will be there with Kai AND Jesus. We talked about understanding that we are sinners and we need to repent and know that believing in Jesus is the ONLY way to get there. He just looked at me and said, "Oh." I think it hit him that Malachi was not going to come back, he is not on a little vacation, but instead he is permanently there.

The Lord has been so gracious to us and I don't really know how to express my thoughts these past days. I feel like shortly after Malachi died, I sort of lost my words or at least the way of putting my thoughts into words.....(honestly, I think I have lost my thoughts too!).

So, please continue to pray....Pray that the Wes and I can truly show Ethan the gift of salvation through God's word. Pray that we can be wise and mostly patient. I know that of late, my patience has been second to nothing. I am very edgy and just don't want to put up with much. Pray that the Lord can show me patience and teach my heart to be a good example for Ethan. Pray that we can continue to use Malachi's story to spread the Word of God and continue to bring Him ALL the glory.

Moving forward slower than we expected....

2009-11-27T21:43:00.000-08:00

My intention has been to put up more recent pictures....from when Kai was in the hospital, to leaving CHLA for the last time, to being home and going on our Make-a-Wish Disneyland trip, to Kai's last few days here with us. Unfortunately, our pictures are stored in a new program on our computer and I cannot figure out how to get them copied over to the blog. So, hopefully, I will get those up soon.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. This year, I found myself extra thankful for the hope of Heaven that I have and I found myself longing for everyone I know to have that hope as well. Our thanksgiving went well. It was spent with my side of the family and Ethan got to play with his little cousins.

Ethan is continuing to do well. It is VERY obvious to us, though, that he is very lonely. When we are home without company, he is beside himself with "nothing to do". It breaks my heart to see him without his best friend to play with, to rule, and to sometimes just to sit next to. He is struggling with playing on his own, when it's just us at home. It will take some getting used to. Please pray for us that we will exhibit the best wisdom to help make his new adjustment better.

Yesterday, like I said, was a good Thanksgiving, but it was definitely different not to have my Kai Kai there with me. I was holding up pretty good, until one moment. My brother and I were cutting up the food on our kids plates. He had the knife and I asked, "When you're done, can I borrow that to cut my boyS plates?" Immediately, after I said it, I realized that I no longer have boyS, but only one boy. I corrected myself and found myself getting teary-eyed. My brother quickly and sweetly responded...."It's ok, Rach."

Today, we had a quiet day at the house. I decided to use my time in the morning to clean out Malachi's armoire of clothes. About an hour and a half later and 6 garbage bags full, his clothes and shoes were removed from the "BOYS" room. It was hard to pull out his clothes knowing that they are never going back in there for him. It was harder to look at the empty armoire after. I took on the task not really thinking too much about it, but as I pulled out certain shirts I realized that the task would become emotional for me.....like his Light the Night shirts and his favorite "Yellow" t-shirt, and his "Lance Armstrong won't have anything on me" t-shirt.

It seems so weird....I felt like I held up pretty good these past weeks. But, it seems the further away (in time) that we get, the harder this has been on me. I think there is a small part of me that has a fear of forgetting things. I don't want to forget one thing about him, but I know that in time...it is inevitable. I just miss him SO much....I miss his voice, his sweet nature, and mostly, just the way he would mold to my hands as I held him. We spent the good part of the evening pulling down Christmas decorations for the inside of the house and I just couldn't help but think...."boy, I wish Kai could be here with us." I know that what we are doing here can NO WHERE NEAR come near to what he has in Heaven, but the selfish side of me wishes we could share these "earthly" memories with him.

So, with all that said, PLEASE continue to pray that we can have that peace that the Lord has granted us and take comfort in knowing that Kai is with his Maker and there is NO better place to be!

Our Past Few Months

2009-10-15T07:49:00.001-07:00

Well, again...time has gotten the better of me. I figured I better get caught up on some of these old pictures. I know that the days ahead we will be taking MANY pictures....so I don't want to be all backed up.

These are our past few months....enjoy!

This is the first time Kai stepped out of his BMT room after spending 101 days in it. You can see the hesitation in his steps. He just didn't really know what to do. He stood still for a long time looking for permission to venture out more, but not quite sure he wanted to.

Kai and Mary (one of our favorite nurses). The two of them have such a bond. She is like a second mother to him. She will pretend to be a Wiggle with him, she dances and sings the Wiggles songs with him, she plays with him, but mostly....she loves him unconditionally. We love you, Mary!

The first time he was re-united with his "Girlfriend" after 101 days. Oh - it was so sweet to see the excitement in BOTH of them that day. It forever made an impact on my mind and heart. Girlfriend, thank you for the friendship and the relationship you have formed with our family. We pray for many more years of that friendship. You will FOREVER have a special piece of all our hearts!

Girlfriend and Lindsey with Kai. You both are so special to us. All I can say is Thank you for the time and energy and love you have invested into our little boys life and ours as well!

Finally HOME...after 101 days. And yes, he is using the wall to help him stay up.

Attempting to eat.

We spent a whole FIVE days at home, but then had to return to the hospital for a week or two for other complications:

Grandma bought him a new guitar....it was SO big....almost bigger than him. But, boy did he love to "rock out" on that guitar!!!

Dayna (his primary care nurse that we ADORE) brought him this "necklace" back from her vacation in Hawaii. He loves to wear it and everytime he tells us that "My Dayna gave dis to me!"

Kai and "his" Dayna

Kai with "his" Dayna and "his" Mary

Lastly, this picture was taken yesterday, October 14th. It amazes me that Kai can look so great and be so incredibly joyful in the midst that his body is basically fading away in front of our eyes:

Ethan's 4th Birthday

2009-07-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

I still am shocked that we have a FOUR year old. I still remember the first time I saw Ethan. He had these HUGE eyes that were strained to open as wide as they could to see EVERYTHING in the world. He was SO aware and alert of everything around him. He was so curious and strong. He would stand on our legs holding our hands when he was only a week old....it was so precious. Now, he is our very active, hyper, creative and imaginative 4 year old. His favorite thing to do is to race his race cars ALL over the place, he loves to make LOTS of noise (just like his Daddy) and mostly, he LOVES to run (which makes Wes beam with joy)!
Anyways, his birthday was last Monday (July 20th) and that evening, my mom and I took him over to Chuckie Cheese for a few hours as a little treat. We met up with one of his previous Daycare buddies and her family and just let them enjoy playing together.

This past Saturday, we had a little party for him as well. In the past years, we have always combined Ethan and Malachi's birthday parties since they are only about a month or so apart. However, with Malachi here, we decided that Ethan really deserved something special and we just did his birthday this past weekend. It wasn't anything big and we tried to downscale a bit from the past years....but, he fully enjoyed his "Lightning McQueen" Themed Birthday Party....here are a few pictures from his special day:

This is his Lightning McQueen cake that we made for him. I would have to say it was the hardest one we have done so far, but I think it's because my mom and myself are quite the perfectionists and our "idea" of what it should look like didn't match what it "did" look like. But, looking at the finished product...we were both actually very pleased with it.

We HAD to stick McQueen's tongue out - because that is probably Ethan's favorite part in the movie! :)

We attempted to make cardboard box cars of actual cars from the movie. We made McQueen, Wingo, Flo, Sheriff, King and Mater. The kids had a blast racing them around the backyard. Our craft was making a foam license plate to put on the back of their cars. It actually was quite a hit with the kids (and easy to do).

Of course, Ethan called dibs on the McQueen car! :)

Ethan and his best friend racing around the yard

Miss Bella driving FLO

Avonlea driving around too

Here are some of the kids all playing at the party:

Pinata Time:

Ethan whacking McQueen. I think we overfilled the pinata because after a few whacks from Ethan...the zip tie on the Pinata broke...and McQueen fell to the ground. However, Uncle Jimmy came to the rescue and climbed up the tree (bare foot) and rehooked it. I think the kids had more fun watching him climb up the tree than they did whacking the pinata.

Uncle Jimmy climbing the tree

Whew - he made it!

Bella was the perfect lady as she hit the pinata.

Even little Jameson had fun taking swings at it.

Bia swung at it like a Pro Baseball Player.

But, all those little arms still needed Miss Shannon to come and bust it open for them! :)

Singing Happy Birthday and blowing out the candles

Of course....Ethan took McQueen's tongue! :)

Half-eaten McQueen

Trying out his new bike! :)

And of course, we ended the day with some great Swimming in the Pool....I love this shot of Daddy and his boy!

Happy Birthday Ethan....we love you SO much and are very proud of the boy you have become. Soon, you will be able to be a daily example to Kai Kai and we know that he will look up to you in so many ways. We pray that we can raise you in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord. LOVE YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!

A HUGE UPDATE

2009-07-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

Wow - I didn't realize HOW LONG it has been since I last posted some pictures on here.....so, this is going to be quite a catch-up!

Kai likes to empty and pull out his clothes drawer in his room and set them up on the mat. He then climbs in with ALL his little soft animals and eats, colors, and watches TV in there. He calls it his "boat."

This was around Day 60 or so in the hospital (back when he was eating great)!

So sweet!

He is talking to his neighbor friend, Sarah, next door.

All ready and set to paint away!

Bath time! Oh so fun!

Re-Contamination (this was the first day Kai got to eat yogurt to help introduce bacteria into his system). :)

Kai hiding from the camera!

Kai and Dayna (our favorite BMT nurse)

I brought my Ipod in one day and Kai took over with it. He sat there for quite some time listening to the kids music I loaded on it for them. For days after, he kept asking me to bring my "green phone!"

Sleepin' like an angel

Rockin' out on his guitar!

Didn't you hear the Village People were auditioning for another member of the band?!?!

The feeding tube is in...and he even gave a thumb's up! What a champion!!!

He got so skinny....even his 2T shorts were falling off of him! :(

All bundled up to go downstairs for his MRI.

Covered up and going down for his LP last week.

The Birthday Pictures

2009-06-11T18:55:00.001-07:00

Day +14 - Day +17

2009-05-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the more recent pictures of Malachi.

Here you can see the cheeks are starting to look a little fuller.

All snuggled in and drying off after his bath.

Busy Painting (he is quite the Picasso) :)

Auntie Alison painted a face on her mask to be silly (She is quite the Picasso, too...I might add) :)

Day +14 - those cheeks are really starting to fill out, now!

Sitting in the "big chair" watching "TB" (TV - as he calls it).

Performing his ROCK CONCERT with his Lacrosse Stick/Guitar for the nurses gathering outside his curtain and dancing!! :)

Day +16 - NOW LOOK AT THOSE CHEEKS!! :)

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

2009-05-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

Well, last weekend, my mom came and sat with Kai for the afternoon while Wes and I took Ethan to Universal Studios. They have that deal where you buy a day and get the year free. So, we thought that since the hospital is SO close to Universal and we are here at CHLA SO much...it would be worth it. We could stop by and visit here and there and not feel like we have to see everything in ONE day. Ethan thoroughly enjoyed the day, and so did we. It's been awhile since Ethan has had both Mommy and Daddy for a whole day ALL to himself. It was a relaxing day to fully enjoy our other GIFT from God: ETHAN! :)
Here are a few pictures from the day:

Waiting in line to buy our tickets.

I know this is a funny facial expression, but I just LOVE his eyes in this shot! :)

Ethan and Princess Fiona from Shrek. (He has never seen the movie....so he has NO CLUE who he is with) :)

Ethan and Daddy shooting foam balls in the Curious George Jungle. He had a BLAST in there. That alone made the day well worth it! :)

In the Curious George Playground

Trying not to get TOO wet! :)

WHO-VILLE from Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas

This had me laughing so hard. It's Norman Bates at the Bates Motel. He is going in to get his mother. He then takes her and puts him in the trunk of his car.

Ethan with Spongebob.
We don't let our kids watch Spongebob and normally, when our kids see Spongebob they both say, "Ong-bobs NOT nice!" It's so funny!

Curious George and Ethan. We LOVE Curious George!

Dora and Diego! :)

We left Universal Studios early and took Ethan to dinner at Hard Rock Cafe.

NAME GALLERY FOR MALACHI

2009-05-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

A friend recently emailed me and gave me a great idea that she saw on another blog. It has taken me quite awhile to get this going, but I thought it was a REALLY great idea and I thought it would be fun to try.
We are going to start a NAME GALLERY for Kai. Anyone that follows our blog or our Caring Bridge Site or anyone that is praying for us - can send us pictures with "Malachi" written in it. As I was looking over this blog - it was totally awesome to see the different places around the WORLD that were praying and all the different people (some even famous). It was really inspiring to see. So, I thought it would be something special that we could start as well. So, we encourage you to travel around...even if it's only in your backyard....and write down Malachi's name (in any creative form you can think of) and take a picture. You can be in it or not, but please let us know where you were when you took the picture (you can be as specific as you want). I am going to start a link on our blog so that you (as well as us) can see ALL the people and places that are so fervently praying for Malachi.
You can email your pictures to: namegalleryformalachi@gmail.com
Just an idea - we'll see how it works.
(Let's see who gets the first picture in!!) :)

THANKS LAURA FOR THE GREAT IDEA....I can't wait to see what happens with it!! :)

Our Champion

2009-05-04T12:53:00.000-07:00

As many of you have read on our caringbridge site for Kai that he is doing REALLY well with the whole transplant process so far. It is amazing to watch him each day and see that he still has his energy and happy spirits. I am beginning to wonder if anything CAN knock him down!?!?! Praise the Lord for these moments...we will cherish them for a lifetime.
Here is a little glimpse of God's glory that I get to see EVERYDAY!!!

Rockin' out on his New WIGGLES guitar from Grandma and Grandpa. The nurses say that when he wakes up at 6:00 in the morning...he reaches for this without a word and just starts playing! He loves GUITARS, but more so....he LOVES thos WIGGLES!! :)

Mommy and Kai (you can get an idea of what we have to wear in order to enter the room).

Daddy getting all prepared to enter the Spaceship.

Mommy, Daddy and our precious Kai.

Ethan visiting with Kai.

I kept trying to take his picture this morning and he kept laying down upside down. He said...."Take my pi-ture upside down!" So, here it is!!! SO SILLY

As you can see....he is eating well. This was BREAKFAST - HA HA HA...notice the hamburger, fries, coke, and spaghetti. It was nauseating for me just thinking about eating that at 9 in the morning!!

JUST SO ADORABLE!!

Day 5 and still GOOD!!!

MORE BMT PICTURES

2009-04-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

Well....as many of you already know from our caringbridge site...Kai had his Bone Marrow Transplant yesterday:

Day 0

Around 11:10 a small crowd started to gather outside our room. Our wonderful nurses, Claudia and Stacy, informed us that they were waiting for the stem cells to be delivered up here to the 4th floor. Dr. Davidson (Kai's previous oncologist) and Dr. VanDoornack (his BMT doctor) and two ladies from the lab, and a few nurses were all standing outside the bubble.
The small little bag of stem cells arrived. They looked much like a regular blood transfusion bag, but a little brighter red. I got to take some pictures of it and get some video. By this time, Kai was fast asleep from the benadryl they had given him at 11:10am. I have to admit I got a little emotional when I first saw that bag. It is amazing that that one little tiny bag (maybe a pint) could change the course of my little baby's life!
The bag was hooked on a pole in the room and began running and entered into his body at exactly 11:35am. With the crowd still gathered outside, we watched and monitored for any possible adverse reactions, and there were NONE! The bag was empty and the "transplant" was done at 11:49. AMAZING!
Upon disconnecting the bag and unhooking the line from his hickman line, the nurses began to sing:
Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Malachi! Happy Birthday to you!
What an AWESOME ending to this event. This is the start of a brand new life - one that we HOPE and PRAY is void of pain and suffering.
So, the BIG EVENT is passed and now, we SIT and we WAIT, but mostly we PRAY.
Please PRAISE the LORD today for the opportunity that Kai has had to be a part of this. We thank the Lord that a bone marrow transplant is something that is NOW doable and helpful to children and people like Kai. We pray that these YOUNG stem cells can find their way quickly through Kai's blood and nestle in good and tight. We pray that they are comfortable in his little body and they know EXACTLY what they need to do and produce to make sure that Kai has a long and joyous life.
To be honest, this day was the easy part. The pain is to come for Kai and we pray that it is minimal and WELL WORTH IT!!!
Thank you so much for all your prayers. So many people have told us that they were gonna put their lives on hold to stop and pray for Kai at 11:00am. This means the world to our family!!
On behalf of Kai, Ethan, Wes and myself we THANK YOU for following along on our journey and we urge you to keep our little baby in your hearts, minds, and PRAYERS! :)

Here are some pictures from the last few days:

All Bundled up after his bath

Day 0 - About an hour and a half before the transplant

The Infamous Cord Blood
On the label we were able to find out that this cord blood that Kai received yesterday was collected on November 21st, 2002. The collection center was NMDP #166 - (whatever that means). We know that the donor was a female with A+ blood type. Maybe ONE day we will get the opportunity to meet her.

Almost done with the transplant transfusion.

A few hours after the transplant..still our little Kai! :)

Bone Marrow Unit

2009-04-24T10:45:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, we are now in the Bone Marrow Unit (as of Monday, April 20th). Kai will receive his new marrow next Wednesday. You can follow along with his day to day progess on our caringbridge site: www.caringbridge.org/visit/malachismith

Here are a few pictures to help you get an idea of what his "Spaceship" looks like.

This is the view from standing in the middle of his room and looking out. You can see the plastic "shower curtain" for the wall. There is an open doorway. Hanging on the shower curtain just above his bed you can see 4 yellowish things hanging. Those are the arms/gloves that visitors and nurses can use to reach into his room for things. All visitors (except our list of 6 assigned people) must visit from outside this shower curtain. You can hear through it. Even if you are visiting from outside the curtain, you still need to "srub in."

This is the view standing at the doorway and looking in. It is actually quite a bit roomier than our past rooms. And the nice thing is that we don't have a roommate!:) He has some shelves to store toys, DVD's, CD's. He has a little boombox in here that he ABSOLUTELY loves dancing to. He also has another set of "makeshift" cabinets that we can store his clothes in. You can see behind the sink is a little blue wading pool - that is what he takes a bath in. There is also a small gymnastics tumbling mat that we can put on the floor for him to play on. Quite the set up, huh?!?

Here are a few pictures of him this past week:

This is him just after arriving in his room. (Day -9)

If you look closely you can see his incision from removing his port on his upper left side of his chest. He has a new line running from the top of his right side of the chest that comes out somewhat in the middle of his chest. He is miserable in this picture and still wearing off the effects of the morphine given to him upon waking up from the anesthesia.

On our second day here (Day -8) a special visitor came by. This is Abby from Sesame Street - and YES - that is the real puppet from the show and the real lady that does the voice for her. It was quite fun to meet them. (Her real voice is actually the voice on the show, too).

Kai and Abby (he doesn't look too sure of her...lol)

Filling up his swimming pool bath :)

He will kill me for putting this up when he is older, but I just couldn't resist. He just LOVES the bath. The hard part about having the pool in the room is that he asks for his bath ALL DAY LONG!!! (As least for now it is something to look forward to.)

Busy playing away like everything is just FINE! :)

Day -6 and still as precious as can BE!!

Disneyland Day with the Nurses :)

2009-04-23T11:36:00.001-07:00

So, last Thursday and Friday we had the privelege of going down to Disneyland.
Our two favorite nurses met us down there and spent the day with us: Laura (aka - Girlfriend) and Lindsey. We had such an awesome day with them and totally enjoyed the day. Kai, of course, LOVED that they were there and so did Ethan. Thanks girls for coming and making it such a special day for us!!!

San Diego Wild Animal Park

2009-04-23T10:21:00.001-07:00

Here are a few shots from our day spent at the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
I wouldn't suggest driving all the way to San Diego just for this park, but if you are down there and have an open day....it's worth it!!

Sea World Pictures

2009-04-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

Here are the long promised Pictures from Sea World....there are SO many that I had to put them in a slideshow....ENJOY

The Boys

2009-04-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, we scheduled an appointment to have the boys pictures taken. Our photographer was the wonderful Michelle Castro. She also took our Christmas pictures for us. Her pictures are SO beautiful and they truly capture the personalities of the boys. She is so wonderful and comes HIGHLY recommended if anyone is interested in having their "memories captured."
Here are a few of our favorite shots from the day:

As I was posting the pictures, I realized that I was posting almost all of them. I just couldn't resist! ENJOY!

New Pictures

2009-02-27T11:42:00.001-08:00

Well, it's been almost a month since I have updated this site - so, here are a few new pictures.

I can't help but think of the movie E.T. when I see this picture:

Here are both boys enjoying cuddling in our bed in the morning.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this picture of Ethan.

Best of Friends

I MELT when I see this one! :)

Kai and "Girlfriend" WE LOVE HER!!

Taking a SNOOZE

Methotrexate Infusion

Yesterday, we were visited by 3 professional volleyball players - again, don't ask me who they are because I have NO clue. But, they were very sweet. They gave Kai 3 volleyballs and an autographed visor! :)

Recent Days

2009-02-09T10:10:00.000-08:00

Kai is continuing to do well with his chemo treatment. Two weekends ago (when it was beautiful and sunny out) we actually were able to take the boys outside. They had a blast playing in the water table and the sand box. It was such a treat to see them outside fully enjoying life!:)

Here is Kai playing at the water table:

Ethan busying "drivin"

Look at these CHUBBY cheeks!!!

Kai enjoying the sandbox.

Daddy was with Kai last night and he looked up to find Kai watching TV like this:

This one was my favorite!!

More Excitement for us!

2009-02-02T17:26:00.000-08:00

Today has proven to be another spiritually challenging day for me!
When Wes was leaving this morning for work, we realized that the driver side back tire of my car had a complete flat. However, Wes needed to leave for work. We didn't want to wait for him to come back from work this evening with the tire flat all day because if there was an emergency for Kai, we would need to leave as soon as possible. So, Wes took off and about 45 minutes later the AAA man arrived. I went our front to open the car up for him. When I turned around, Ethan had shut the screen door and locked it. (You cannot unlock this door from the outside). On top of that, he had shut the front door. So, here I am - Yelling through the door for Ethan to come and open it up. At this point...I get a little panicked because both boys are inside by themselves (NOT GOOD). So, I am calling and calling for Ethan....he comes to the door and I am telling him to OPEN THE DOOR. I can see the door knob wiggling (but can't help because I can't even get in the screen door). But, NO LUCK - he couldn't do it. So (being that my cell phone is inside), I asked the AAA man if I could borrow his phone. He lets me and of course he is laughing at me because I have just been locked out by a 3 and a half year old (THANKS A LOT). I called Wes and he said he was on his way back to the house (of course, he had already made it all the way to work).
So, the AAA man puts the spare on the car and leaves and I am still stuck outside. I ran around to the back and looked in the sliding glass door. I see Ethan sitting in his chair watching TV. HA HA HA - so I start yelling to him to go to the front door. He doesn't even get up out of his seat - he just sits there and tells me, "I can't open it!" This goes on for about 5 minutes. Finally, through a very stern voice - he goes to the front door. I find myself racing around the side yard to make it to the front door before he leaves again. However, he obeyed and stayed there. I started telling him again to turn the knob and pull really hard. About 5 minutes later (and lots of tears on his side)....he was able to open the front door. Then, I told him to unlock the screen door (which he can easily do). He did and I opened the door and as soon as I stepped inside he had the most scared look on his face. We had a very long discussion about the importance of NOT locking mommy outside. Needless to say, we have had an easy day since then. WHEW!!
So, all in all, since we have been home from the hospital I have stabbed my hand, gotten a stitch and a tetanus shot, had a flat tire, and been locked out of the house by my 2 boys for about 45 minutes. I am actually looking forward to returning to the little hospital "bubble" for a couple of days. Maybe life will be easier then. I must need lots of refining because I MUST say, the Lord has been testing my patience more this week than I have been tested in a LONG time. Unfortunately, today, I failed my test. Pray for patience for me. Sometimes these boys can be more trying than ever, but I still love them DEARLY!! :)

I Missed the Drs. so much, I had to go back!

2009-01-30T22:09:00.000-08:00

Yes, that's right - you weren't imagining things when you read the title of this post! Today, I was just dying to see a doctor, so this is what happened...

Since we have been home from the hospital, we haven't been able to find out scissors ANYWHERE! I think it might have been thrown out with all the Christmas wrapping paper (cuz that is what I was doing right before we went into the hospital). So, we have been using kitchen knives to open pretty much everything.
This morning, I was getting ready to give Ethan a bath. But, we had a new bottle of Soap to open. It had that hard plastic wrapped around the top of the pump. So, I took a kitchen knife and tried to slide it underneath to open the plastic. Well, instead it just skipped right over the plastic and went right into my hand. Upon pulling it out, blood literally squirted across the kitchen. A microscopic drop (no joke) landed on Ethan's toe. So, while my hand is pouring blood, Ethan is freaking out and screaming..."IT'S ON MY TOE!! IT'S ON MY TOE!!" WOW - what a moment.
I eventually convinced him to leave the kitchen. :) It took quite awhile for it to stop bleeding. The cut was about 1/4" wide and after looking at the blood stain on the knife, we realized it went in about 1/2 an inch between my thumb and index finger. My thumb was throbbing at first and my arm was throbbing a little too about half way down to my elbow.
It stung at first, but nothing too bad. But, I had to go to urgent care to get a tetnis shot. They gave me a tetnis shot and decided to put 1 stitch in it. WHAT A JOKE!!! They were gonna just steri-strip it, but decided with where it was, it would be best to stitch so it wouldn't open up everytime I moved my hand.
Anyways...quite a fun day. I actually did have fun at the doctors though. Watching them stitch it was quite thrilling for me. I love seeing stuff like that! :) I know, I am weird! The doctor told me to look away while she was stitching it and it would be easier. I told her, "Oh no....this is cool!"
Anyways...I have now officially raised my stitch count to 37! WOO HOO! (Still no broken bones, though). :)

Random Thoughts from Kids

2009-01-30T22:07:00.001-08:00

Laying in bed with us in the morning:
Kai: Mommy, you got a big nose???
Mommy: NO!
Kai: Yes, you got a big nose. My got a "mall" one!
Mommy: Thank you Kai. You are so thoughtful!

On the way out of the grocery store, walking by a bum with a beard down to his belly button:
Ethan: WHOA!!!! That boy's got LOTS of hairs!!!
Mommy - just prodded him along as fast as possible to get in the car!!!!

NEED I SAY MORE?!?!

2009-01-28T20:26:00.000-08:00

Impressions

2009-01-16T17:56:00.001-08:00

We have updated a lot on Kai lately, and Ethan actually has some news to share, too! :) Many of you know that when Ethan was about two and a half, he pulled his two year old molar out. Yes!!! Crazy sounding, but true. I was giving him a bath (in the kitchen sink) before church one Sunday morning and he used to always put the faucet in his mouth and let the water pour out of his mouth. Well, that particular Sunday he someone moved and got the faucet lodged behind his two year molar and stuck between that and the back of his jaw. Wes and I both tried to slowly, but carefully remove him from there. Ethan got impatient (go figure?!?!) and yanked his head backward. His molar popped right out of his mouth and landed in Wes' hand. CRAZY! So, needless to say, he had a pretty big hole in his mouth for awhile. The dentist said there was really no need to do anything at that time since it was a bab tooth. So, we waited until his 3 year molar was in and took him to the dentist thinking he would need a spacer so the 2 year molar wouldn't float around. We took him when the 3 year molar first came in, but the dentist then said we needed to wait until it was all the way in, so they had a tooth to hook the spacer onto. So, the molar is all the way in. We took Ethan two weeks ago to the dentist. They actually did impressions on him. It was quite funny to see the tray - it looked way to big for his mouth. But, Ethan did great! Anyways, his follow up appointment was today (to put the spacer in). My mom (grandma) took him, since we are in the hospital with Kai. She said he did great, however the lab broke the impressions. So, instead of getting his spacer, he had to take more impressions. She said that he did great again. I think Ethan loves the dentist because everytime he goes we walk across the street to Albertson's and he gets to pick out a candy. Kind of defeats the purpose of the dentist, but it works for now! :) Needless to say, we go back in two weeks and hopefully this time he will get the spacer put in! :)

Pics from the last 2 Days

2009-01-14T13:12:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from the last two days.

Since Kai is isolated and can't leave his room, now he can't go to the playroom across the hall. However, the volunteers are so great about coming around and bringing toys that he can borrow and crafts that he can do in our room.
This was a cute little bumblebee craft we made together (the wings are Kai's handprints).

Here is just a simple, but sweet sleeping picture:

Here is all the oral medications Kai takes in one day (12 hours alone) - 36 total:

Yesterday, we had some special visitors. Four of the L.A.Kings players came to visit: Jack, Teddy, Wayne and Oscar. Here are a few pictures of their visit.

KAI UPDATE/ RESULTS

2009-01-07T18:22:00.000-08:00

PLEASE PRAY FERVENTLY:
Well, Kai had a really hard time this morning before the procedure. He was SO hungry and he wasn't allowed to eat or drink. We finally went in for the procedure around noon. We got to pre-op and they realized they had forgotten to order his chemo (for the spine) - so we waited there another hour for that to be ordered and for it to come up. He went in around 1:30 - but didn't come out until about 2:15. We got back to the room and he pigged out on rice, half a cheeseburger, some pretzels, some fishy crackers. He wan't even half way through lunch when they gave him his Vincristine, then they started his Eprutuzumab. So, right now he still has about 2-3 hours left of the Eprutuzumab.

We got the results from his bone marrow aspirate. We needed his leukemia cells to be under 5%. Instead - 65% of his bone marrow was leukemia cells. NOT THE RESULT WE WERE PRAYING FOR - but, we do know that God's sovereign hand IS in this. The doctors did say that most of the 65% of the cells were dying cells (not active), which is good news, however its just not where we want it. They are going to continue with the plan we have been on the past 2 weeks. However, we misunderstood - his next bone marrow check is in 3 weeks (day 36). So, they have informed us we have 3 weeks to get that count to 0. There cannot be any cells present for him to be termed "remission." If this happens we will move forward with the plan already made for him. If not, they will come up with another tough chemo plan to try for the next month. So, we will see what the Lord has in store for our little Kai.
I have to admit that I was totally shocked with the results. I thought that if it wasn't under the 5% - it would be about 10-15%, but when they said 65% - I emotionally lost it. I was stunned. I know that the Lord is in control and we are to wait for His results. Boy, our selfish desires take over and we want what we want. But we know that if the Lord wants to take our little boy, he will be PERFECT and PERFECTLY WORSHIPPING our Lord. Whatever the Lord has planned we are willing to follow in HIS footsteps. However the Lord commands us to ask - so, I am here asking you to pray that these next 3 weeks will be SO effective. Pray these next few weeks clear these cells out of his body completely. Pray that Kai's body will fully respond to the plan laid out before him. Pray that we can bring honor and glory to our Father as He literally carries us down this path!

Thank you for your prayers so far. Please continue to pray.

On a side note - Ethan had his screen for bone marrow this morning - what a champion. He didn't even cry - they filled up 3 big viles of blood - not one word! We were so proud - so of course we took him ot the gift shop for a prize. He picked out a Lightning McQueen car and he wanted a train for Kai. He was so sweet. We won't find out the results of that for a few days. Pray that Kai can get into remission, so we can do this process.

You can always read daily updates on Kai at www.caringbridge.org then type in: malachismith (as one word)

Happy New Year

2009-01-04T19:57:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to You All!
I have been meaning to put this up for the past few days, but just haven't found the time to do it....wonder why?!?!?!
Anyways, Kai is continuing to do well. We are amazed at his strength each day. Only a powerful and almighty God can give such strength!
Anyways, the nurse came in on New Year's Day and gave a pair of these glasses to Kai. He put them on and LOVED them! I had to get a picture - and I was SO pleased with it. Of course, I might be a little biased when I say that I think he is adorable!!! :)

Playing Catch Up

2008-12-29T21:40:00.000-08:00

Well, I am sitting here in the hospital and Kai is asleep. I have so many pictures that we haven't posted on here all they way back to November. So, I figured I might as well do something now! So, here are some pictures from the last two months.

The day after Thanksgiving, we took the boys to their first movie with some little friends of theirs. They had a blast.
Getting ready to go to the movies:

Kai: so adorable!!!

The boys with me in front of the theater

The boys with Grandma in front of the theater

Ethan, Sierra, and Kai - they had so much fun running around outside after the show.

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Two weeks ago, Kai was in the hospital for a few days because of low counts and an ear infection. Here is Ethan up in Kai's bed. Yes, they both have their special blankets and they both still suck their thumb and index finger. WILL THEY EVER OUT GROW THEM??

Look at that happy face. This was taken in the hospital. I am telling you - he is such a sweetie pie - what kid would smile like that in a hospital?!?!?

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The day before going into relapse - the boys and I went to Disneyland with Miss Shannon. Later we met up with Miss Alysha (JuJu) :) and Miss Brittani. This is Kai looking up at Miss Shannon - look at the admiration in his face....Shannon, look out!! :)

Ethan with his silly 3-D glasses on

The boys with California Christmas Minnie

PROOF: Shannon was trying to shoot my son on the Buzz Lightyear ride:

Ethan with some of his favorite Babysitters: JUJU, Miss Shannon and Miss Brittani. This was waiting for the fireworks and snow to start. BOY WAS IT COLD!!!

In the hospital after finding out about Kai's relapse. A nurse came around with a big FBI hat - ok?!?!

The boys with Avi and Bia and of course, Santa himself...lol

All the Davis/Smith cousins

This was taken today, Day 6 of Relapse treatment - Look at that Smile - Kai never ceaes to amaze me!!

Kai walking with the help from Daddy. We ventured down to the playroom for a few hours today

The boys in the playroom:

Not Such Good News

2008-12-22T11:58:00.001-08:00

Well...here is the latest update:

This morning, we woke Kai up around 7:00am to take him down for his ultrasound. We still don't have the results from it. By time we got back to the room and somewhat settled, they called for him to go down for his heart ultrasound. When we left our room our nurse got a phone call from Kai's doctor (Dr. Mascarenhas) - he wanted to see if both Wes and I were here to meet. Wes was planning on coming in early afternoon today. Dr. Mascarenhas didn't want to wait, so after Kai's ultrasound I met with both him and Dr. Davidson (both are Kai's primary oncologists). We will meet again with Wes this afternoon.

They had a nurse come in and sit with Kai while we went over to the conference room. By this time, my stomach was literally turning with nerves. They gave me the basic rundown on what is to come. If you remember when Kai was originally diagnosed back in August 2007 - he was given a 90% chance of cure. Right now - his relapse is a "high-risk" because not only has it returned soon, it has returned while he is still receiving chemotherapy. His chance of a cure right now is 1 in 4! I was shocked and devastated at the same time. They laid out the basic plan....which honestly went in one ear and out the other. While in the conference room I was able to retain it...but it is quickly escaping my mind as I sit here and try to explain it. Basically, he will be on most of the chemos he was on when he was first diagnosed, however they will be given in MUCH larger doses and a MUCH higher intensity. Many of the times we will have to be admitted to the hospital in order to receive the chemo and stay for days at a time because his counts will be so low, if any at all. They are basically attacking all the cells, but giving other medicines as well that will keep the chemo from killing the good cells and only go after the leukemia cells. They said that from looking at his labs right now - about 30-40% of his blood is leukemia cells. That means that most, if not almost all his bone marrow at this point is luekemia cells.
Dr. Mascarenhas also presented us with the option of joining a research study of chemotherapy. He said that he recommended it, but it is STRICTLY voluntary. To be honest, there is no generally accepted standard treatment for relapsed ALL. So it is something that Wes and I need to pray about and really consider. We need to make our decision today. Whether we join the research group or not....Kai's chemo treatment will remain just as tough. This study is for one particular type of chemo and blood tests to follow the results of it. Pray that we can make a wise decision after seeing all our options.

Please pray that we can be a light and offer hope to everyone around us on this floor at the hospital. We know that God placed us here specifically at this time for a reason. And we fully entrust Kai into His hands, whatever the outcome. We have a very long and tough road ahead - but Kai's road is much longer and tougher. Help us to keep God at the forefront and use this opportunity to glorify Him and hopefully save a soul in the time being.

I usually use this blog mostly for pictures - so to follow along closer with Malachi's medical information you can visit: www.caringbridge.org then type in: malachismith (one word)
Thanks

Kai Update

2008-12-20T21:47:00.001-08:00

Well, this has been a bit of a rough week.

On Monday, we took Kai to the clinic to follow-up with his counts. We had left the hospital the previous week with his ANC at 360. This past Monday they were at 1750. WOW - really great!

However, Monday night, Kai started to complain that his leg was hurting. He was crying quite a bit and we could tell that he was really uncomfortable. By 6:30 that night, he wasn't bearing any weight on his right leg and he was limping (when he would walk). We called down to the on-call doctor but he was busy. By time he had called back, Kai was asleep. He said that since he was sleeping to leave him, but to notify him if he continued through the night. He only cried out one time and slept great the rest of the night. Tuesday (the next morning), he woke up and was practically jumping in his bed. He wasn't limping or complaining about his leg AT all. However, Tuesday night, it started all over again. This time it seemed a little worse. We called down again and they said that there was no need to come in because it didn't seem like an emergency, but we were to follow up with Urgent Care in the clinic in the morning. So, Wednesday morning he woke up and again he was totally fine. We called the Urgent Care anyways to try to get some answers. The doctor called us back later in the day to tell us that it sounded like he has "Toxic/Transient Synovitus" (don't hold me to the spelling). It is common with children his age, especially males, and it occurs after a viral infection (which he had the previous week). The joint (usually the hip or knee) becomes inflammed and can be very painful. She told us to give him Motrin at the first sign of pain to see if it would help. (Kai is not normally allowed Motrin because it lowers the platelet count - however since his platelets were up....they weren't too concerned.) Wednesday night, he was in pain again.....I gave him Motrin and he seemed better within the half hour. Thursday and Friday, he didn't so much complain about the legs....he was just really tired. He didn't sleep that much more than normal, but just seemed really relaxed and content to just sit most of the day instead of playing.

On Friday, around 5:15, he was running a low grade fever (100.6), so we had to call down to the hospital. They told us to come in - they would check his counts and see if they could figure out what was going on.
Wes took him down. Wes called me around midnight to tell me that his counts were about the same (around 1750), however, they found some blasts cells in his culture. So, basically, the leukemia is back. This was a shock to me. Honestly, in the back of my head I had a feeling something was going on the past week or so. Kai just seemed out of sort and not himself. So, as suprised as I was, I was a TAD prepared.

Today was a long day. They admitted Kai and we had doctors coming in quite a bit to talk. I am going to try to remember everything, but it might sound a bit jumpy because, ....well...that is the way my mind is running right now.

They are drawing labs from Kai every 6 hours. They want to see the progression and the ratios of the different counts. He is scheduled to have a bone marrow biopsy and lumbar puncture on Tuesday to assess exactly what we are up against. It is not until then, that the doctors can "OFFICIALLY" say that the leukemia is back, but they have pretty much told us that from now. We were told from when he was first diagnosed last year that if the cancer comes back within the first three years while the patient is receiving chemo, they will have to respond with really heavy chemo. It is not going to be an easy ride for him. Once they assess his bone marrow on Tuesday they will give us the exact map of what to expect. But, basically we are back at Day 1. There is a VERY high chance that he will need a bone marrow transplant. Tomorrow, they plan on screening Ethan to see if he is a match. That would be the ideal scenario. Pray that this is the answer. If not, we trust that the Lord will provide for Kai's every need. The doctors explained the bone marrow transplant a little more to us. The reason he would need it is because normally they cannot give a child too strong of a chemo. If they do, it will completely wipe out all the bone marrow and the child will have nothing left. However, when they relapse, they have no choice but to go after it so strong that it will wipe everything out - hence the need for the transplant. I never imagined that I would be discussing this and it breaks my heart to think of Malachi going through all that he went through again....not only that, it's going to be a LOT tougher on him. I dread seeing him in pain and uncomfortable. I wish I could take it all away. But, I know that the Lord has better plans for him. I know that if only one soul is saved through this journey - it is WELL worth it.

Please pray that the Lord will give us wisdom as parents as we face some tough days ahead. Pray that He gives us grace and understanding. Pray that He gives us the words needed to be a light to everyone around us. Mostly, pray that we will glorify the Lord in all we say and do. I cannot imagine life without my baby and I pray that is a day I will not see, but I also know that the Lord's plan for my life and mostly Kai's life may be totally different. I urge you to please think of and remember Kai in your prayers as we begin this journey all over again.

HOSPITAL VISIT - NOV. 2008

2008-11-25T20:42:00.000-08:00

Today was an exciting day, even with the fact that it was another hospital day for Kai. I decided it might be nice for Ethan to go with us down to the hospital and see what really goes on. I asked if he wanted to go with me and Kai Kai to the doctors. He was soooo excited. So, we ventured down together. Having Ethan load up in the car with us made Kai smile. He didn't cry knowing he was going to the doctors. It was really cute.

This picture was in the waiting room shortly after arriving.

So, we arrived a little early, so we stopped by the infamous McDonald's. The boys had a blast eating their "CHICKEN-FRIED-COKE." After we headed up to the Hematology/Oncology clinic. We signed in - then we were sent to Triage to get a general assesment of Kai. He went from gaining 12.8kilos to 13.3 (he gained about a pound this past month!!!) but only grew about a quarter of a centimeter (poor guy)! :) Then he moved to his big chair where they take his blood pressure and check his temperature. When Ethan saw them putting the blood pressure cuff on Kai's arm....he looked at Kai and said, "Don't cry, Kai Kai. It's okay." He continued to reassure him that everything was okay the whole time. It really melted my heart to see that Ethan really does have a soft side to him and I loved that he was so protective of his little brother.

Here is Kai having his blood pressure taken:

After that, we headed over the playroom. They had a blast playing at the Play-doh table.

We then went into the exam room where the boys played with their cars for about 45 minutes as we waited for the doctor to come in. They had a blast!!

Kai's labs were great. The doctor was really pleased with his progress and we return on December 23rd for his next follow up. We had to sit and wait for his Vincristine (chemo that is given through his port) to be ordered up. So, we decided to go back to the playroom while we waited. There was a magic show going on and the boys loved it. I think the guy performing fell in love with Ethan and Kai because he used them on practically every other trick. It was really cute! Then when he was done....the boys went straight back for the play-doh table. They weren't even there for two minutes when all of a sudden this guy comes walking into the playroom with a cart FULL of stuffed animals and pillow cases. Everyone in the playroom was going nuts over this guy and saying, "Oh, I wish I had my camera." So, I figured it must be someone famous. So, after he gave Ethan a stuffed dinoasaur and Kai, a stuffed dalmation....I asked if I could have their picture taken with him (still having no clue who he was!) I figured....oh well, I will take their picture with him, then find out who he was. So, we took the picture. I didn't find out who it was until later in the evening! lol
Can you tell who he is??? (Of course, right as the picture snaps, Ethan lifts up his dinosaur and covers half of his face....I didn't have the gall to ask him to take another one)!!

From what I have been told....its the guy who played Napolean Dynamite. So, we named the dalmation "Napolean" and the dinosaur "Dynamite!" Please tell me if I am wrong about who it is!!! LOL

The Park

2008-11-10T21:02:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, Grandma and Grandpa came out to our house and we walked to the park across the street from our house. The boys had a blast playing on the equipment and fussed when it was time to go! Here are a few shots from the day.

Light the Night Walk 2008

2008-10-21T19:43:00.001-07:00

Our Light the Night Walk was such a reminder of God's grace and provisions. As our adventure with Malachi continues, we are constantly reminded of the perfect strength that God gives us to make it through each day. We were amazed at the turn-out of people at the walk. We are constantly amazed at the prayers that are lifted up to Heaven on behalf of our little boy! Thank you to everyone who came out and supported the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and for coming out to support us and our endeavor to be a "LIGHT" to those around us. Thank you to the Escoto family for the WONDERFUL t-shirts. Our favorite part of them was the Scripture on the back: "Phil. 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Here are the pictures from the evening. We truly had an awesome time and we hope you all return next year and if you didn't make it this year, we hope you can join us next year. We are already thinking of a theme for next year! HEE HEE HEE! :)

PUMPKIN PATCH

2008-10-20T22:32:00.000-07:00

In early October, we ventured over to the Underwood Family Farms (right by our house) for our annual Pumpkin Patch visit. We love that place - if you haven't gone to the Pumpkin Patch yet this year....I encourage you to give this one a try!

Here are some shots from the day!

Recent Pictures from the Past Two Months

2008-10-20T21:39:00.000-07:00

Malachi loves to try on shoes...he is definitely NOT my kid. I hate shoe shopping...I hate trying on shoes...I hate wearing shoes, unless they are flip flops!

Here he is trying on Auntie Andie's high heels. He can actually walk in them, too (more than I can say for myself!) :)

Here we go...trying on LAPD boots (courtesy of Uncle Jimmy)! That's more like it, Kai!

Kai building a Winnie the Pooh puzzle with Nana Jean (Wes' grandmother). Actually..it's more like Kai messing up the puzzle as Nana Jean puts it together! :)

Daddy and his little prodigy, Ethan. Boy, does he like to run...hopefully he will make his Daddy proud! LOL

This is Kai trying to keep up with Daddy and Ethan...but, they are no where to be seen. That's okay though...he has the hand/eye coordination "thing" down! :)

Here are the boys climbing through and playing with their cousin in pop-up tents. Boy did they have fun in there!

Mr. Funny Man

The boys have started Babygym and Kindergym at our church. It's every Thursday morning and they love it. They get to romp on mats, hang on bars, walk parallel bars, and mostly go down slides...lol

Kai and Avonlea at Babygym

Cambria and Kai at Babygym

Ethan "chillin'" in Kindergym...lol

New Pictures

2008-09-20T20:10:00.001-07:00

Ok...so I figured I better put some new pictures up here soon! It's been long enough. I used to be so much better at this whole blogging thing. I guess the "newness" has worn off. But I promise, I will not give up on it.

A couple weeks ago, I went with Miss Shannon (a former athlete of mine from WVCA and a former athlete of Wes' too) and we took the boys to Disneyland for the day. We love having the passes and the ability to come and go as we please and not feel like we have to get our money's worth and do everything in one day. Anyways...here are a few pictures from the day.

Eating lunch at the Hungry Bear

Realizing they are tall enough to go on the Golden Zephyr. Ethan just waves out to anybody walking by when on this ride.

Kai on the Golden Zephyr. I love that I caught the Ferris Wheel in the background. :)

Two weekends ago, we took the boys to a friend's 7th birthday party. It was a quite a party, with a DJ and dance floor and everything. They had a blast trying to figure out the hula hoops. The night ended, and they still couldn't do it! It was really funny to watch, though.

At the party, the craft was to make a hat. It's amazing to see how into crafts Ethan is now. He really enjoys "making" things and "creating." He was so proud of his hat....he took to a couple places with us for the next week or so always showing everybody what he made! :)

This past Wednesday, I went with a dear friend that I have known since Junior High and we took the boys to the LA County Fair. I almost went the previous Friday with my brother and his wife and their 3 girls, but I was nervous to go "alone" since Wes had to work. It's hard with two kids....let me fix that....two VERY active kids! So, Jimmy and Andie...sorry we didn't go...I was just too nervous to go and I knew you had your girls to handle too! :)
Anyways...we went down on Wednesday, and BOY OH BOY did we have some laughs.

Here is Auntie Alison and Ethan climbing the stairs for the BIG slide. Both boys LOVED this slide....we were amazed at how much speed you pick up by the second bump.

Auntie Alison and Ethan at the bottom of the slide. (Looks like she is trying to catch her breath!) :)

Auntie Alison and Ethan on the LONGEST, BUMPIEST, JERKIEST, but funniest Roller Coaster.

Kai loved the Roller Coaster too, but I had to put one hand in front of his face to keep it from hitting the lap bar and one behind his head because it would jerk and his head would want to bump the back of the seat!

Ethan and Kai on the Ferris Wheel - always a hit with the boys!

Mommy and Auntie Alison on the Ferris Wheel

Charlotte's Web Barn with a "re-creation" of Wilbur inside.

All day, Ethan wanted to go see the baby pigs...we finally made it. I pulled the stroller right up to the fence....the little pigs were squealing and grunting like CRAZY. Ethan pulled his feet up IMMEDIATELY and said, "Mommy - they're gonna BITE my toes!" He didn't appreciate them as much as I thought he would. I think the squealing set him off.

This calf was only 2 hours old. It still had the umbilical cord hanging out and the mother was cleaning it.

Ethan saw these piggies with their Mommy and said, "They're hungry!" LOL

Silly Boys

I love this picture of Kai - it makes me laugh everytime I see it.

On a Pirate Ship Ride

Bouncy Car Ride

Crazy Spinning Himalayan Ride - the boys loved this one!

Another thing we did there - we all squeezed into a photo booth to have our picture taken...we practiced with the boys making smiley faces, silly faces, sticking our tongues out,etc. We get in and no sooner we put the money in...Kai let a stinky out. It reeked in there, so all our pictures came out even funnier...it was hilarious. I wish I could scan the pictures into the computer...if I ever figure out how...they are going up. It was quite funny.

Funny story from the fair - we were sitting on a haystack watching a dog show when Kai turned around to play with Alison and accidentally knocked out her nose ring (which she just got two days earlier). We were sitting in the front row not even paying attention to the show. Instead the two of us were sorting through the hay looking for a TINY nose ring. (It was literally like looking for a needle in a haystack - and it's even harder to do when you are laughing the whole time). Needless to say, we couldn't find it, so she took out her earring and put it in her nose...we were laughing so hard and I was so cruel - I was shooting pictures of her trying to put it in!

Alison, I am sparing you by not putting up those pictures! :)

Anyways, thanks for making the Fair such a fun day for boys and me. They ADORED their "Auntie A-ison" as they say it. They couldn't stop saying your name at the end of the night! Thanks again....WE LOVE YOU!

Child Perspectives

2008-09-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

Children always amaze me with the little things they say. Ethan is a pro at saying some of the funniest things I have ever heard and lately...Kai is catching on and saying some really cute little things too. Here are a few from the last few weeks:

While arriving at the store, we walked by a vacant handicap parking spot. Ethan looked at the painting on the ground and said:
"Look, Mommy! That man is going potty!" I tried to explain to him that it was a wheelchair...but he insisted that the "man was going potty." I guess we will have to give him a little lesson on wheelchairs.

The boys have been hooked on the movie THE LITTLE MERMAID. We watch it almost everyday....it's either THE LITTLE MERMAID or the movie CARS. In THE LITTLE MERMAID - the part where Ariel is being transformed into a human by Ursula...Ethan always chimes in, "Look - she's gonna get TOES!"

Then, in the part where she is in the castle and she just took a bath and they dress her in a pretty pink shimmery dress and she comes out for dinner - she steps into the light and every time Kai says, "like a princess!" It's so adorable to hear him say it!

Tonight they were watching it (AGAIN!) and in the very end scene, King Triton turns Ariel back into a human so she can be with Prince Eric....Ethan said, "Look - she's gonna get......" then he paused. So, I asked him what is she gonna get? He responded, "CLOTHES. He put clothes on her!" I laughed so hard.

Anyways...these are just a few of the little funny things that pop up in our house. It seems like if we are watching THE LITTLE MERMAID or CARS we have a audio commentary to go along with it. No joke! Ethan says some of the lines before they actually say them in the movie. It's scary! :)

Light the Night Walk

2008-09-08T22:30:00.000-07:00

Well...it's that time of year again: LIGHT THE NIGHT WALK

This year, we are participating for the 2nd year in the Light the Night Walk held in Warner Center on Sunday, October 12th. The "festival" begins at 4:30pm, but the walk begins at 7:00pm. This walk raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Last year we had such a great time seeing quite a bit of family and friends come and walk and support a cause that lies so dear to our hearts. We would love to, at least, double our team and get as many people out there as possible to help raise money. Please come and join us in our walk. I will post more details as the walk draws nearer.....but for now, you can register to walk on our team: "THE MIGHTY MALACHI'S" by visiting www.lightthenight.org. We promise an evening full of joy and laughter.

PS - Just for a little head's up - our theme this year for our team is probably going to be TIGERS!! :)

Very Important Person

2008-08-14T21:53:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago, my mom's sister (a.k.a. Aunt Kackie - the kids can't say Kathy, so she is known as Kackie) came out to visit us from Oklahoma. We weren't quite sure how the boys would respond to her, as the last time they saw her was last Thanksgiving. We didn't quite think they would remember her. They do however talk to her on the phone, which is always quite comical. They also hear us talking to her and we tell them about her a lot. (They even pick up their play phones and pretend to call "Kackie.") Anyways, I went and picked her up from the airport and took her to my moms house (the boys were there waiting) and when they opened the door to her - they looked and paused. We said, "Who came to see you?" They both replied, full of excitement, "KACKIE!" They gave her a big hug and kiss and acted as if they saw her everyday of their lives.

Here are a few pictures from our adventuresome week:

Arriving at Disneyland with the whole group!

On the Jungle Cruise - boy did they love the animals!

Waiting in line for the Winnie the Pooh Ride - loved it!

All excited to see "Handy Manny" (of all people)!!

Kai's Ice Cream Mustache

Ethan in front of Boo's Door

Cousins: Avonlea and Cambria - such a cute photo!

Kai's new pose

Aunt Kackie and Grandma sitting and waiting for the Parade of Dreams

Aunt Kackie and her Boys

Kai enjoying a day in the pool!

Ethan enjoying his "new-found freedom" in the big pool with his Spiderman Swimsuit.

Silly Kai Kai - about 1 second after this shot...he went straight back - the goggles really put his sense of balance into whack!

On day, we took Aunt Kackie down south to visit some dear friends. While she was visiting, Grandma and I took the boys to Dana Point. They enjoyed finding and counting crabs on the shore:

"WOTS OF CRABS!" (Lots of crabs - as Ethan would say)

Photo Opportunity:

Kai and Ethan enjoying an ice cream - notice: THEY LIKE TO LICK THEIR ICE CREAMS INSTEAD OF USING A SPOON!

Our Precious Ethan

2008-07-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

Well...as promised, below is a slideshow with a few of the pictures of Ethan over the past 3 years

Ethan,
I cannot believe that you are now 3 years old. It seems just yesterday we welcomed you into this world. These past three years have brought so much joy to my life. You are ALWAYS such a bundle of energy. Everyday you bring a smile to my face whether its by a face you make or something silly you say. You truly have been a blessing to our family and I can't imagine life without you. I pray that Daddy and I make the wisest decisions and raise you so that you may have eternal life with our Lord and Savior one day. I pray that you grow into a boy that knows and loves the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
I love you and Happy 3rd Birthday!
Love,
Mommy

Ethan's Birthday

2008-07-20T22:12:00.001-07:00

Today was Ethan's 3rd Birthday...I am still a bit shocked to think that I have a 3 year old. YIKES....anyways..I really had my heart set on putting a little slideshow together to show his life the past three years...but once again...time got the better of me. I will definitely put it up this week though...so check back for some adorable pictures of my little "angel." :)

The Big Birthday Bash

2008-07-13T20:10:00.000-07:00

The following is a slideshow of some of the birthday pictures. There were too many for the slideshow. Thank you to everyone who came - you truly made this day so enjoyable for us. Ethan and Kai had an absolute blast!

PS - Kai is still doing well....no fevers! We have a follow-up appointment tomorrow to check his blood counts again. Please pray they are on the road to recovery! :)

LOW COUNTS

2008-07-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

Today was Malachi's follow up appointment to see if his blood counts were back to the right number so he could resume his chemotherapy. But, when Wes called me from the hospital today I was quite surprised by the news. I was expecting that Kai's counts would be normal - if not way above and he would resume his normal chemo. However, his white blood cell count had dropped. When we left the hospital (two weeks ago from the whole Anaheim ordeal) his ANC was 440. For a normal, healthy person...we were told ANC should be between 2,000 and 3,000. For Kai (a leukemia patient) they try to keep his ANC as close to 1,000 as they can get it. Today, his ANC was 290. With that....he had been taking half the amount of chemo these past two weeks, but now he will stop the chemo again. He did Vincristine today in his port because they said that will not effect his white blood cell count. He will also take his Dexamethasone (steroid) this week as that will not effect his ANC either. He will NOT receive his Methotrexate (Monday night pills) or his 6MP (daily pills) until his counts have gone back up and the doctor okays it.

We return on Monday for a Blood count test to see where his ANC count is then. For now, please pray that his counts will make a massive jump up as quickly as possible. Sometimes I feel like a pest asking for people to continually pray for this. This whole experience has taught me so much. I am someone who NEVER likes to ask for help. I will fall 100 times before I ask for help....but God is teaching me that He has put so many people in our lives who are there to help and guide us, especially in times of need. My first response is to ask Him to help, but then to spread the word and ask our family and friends for their help as well. So, with this in mind, pray that his counts go up. We have been planning a birthday party for the both Ethan and Kai for this Saturday. When Wes left the hospital today the nurses were very amazed that Kai wasn't already running a fever and admitted. They suspect that he will probably start running one soon. With his ANC as low as it is....he has practically no immune system. The slightest little cough or runny nose could really hit him hard. So, pray that we can keep the germs away (he will be wearing a mask everywhere!) and pray that if its the Lord's will we can go on with his party this weekend. If the Lord wills that he be in the hospital this weekend, we have decided that we would postpone the party for another day....as it just wouldn't be the same without him there! :)

Thanks again for everybody who continues to follow Kai's progress on this blog. I cannot describe in words how overwhelmed I am at everybody who comes up to us and tells us how much they read the blog and pray for Kai. It truly is such a blessing to have such a wonderful family in Christ who have come alongside of us and supported our family in SO many ways. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

2008-07-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

We have been really busy the past few weeks (it seems that is a common first sentence on our blogs) - but it's true. We thought when summer hit, we would find more time to relax, but instead, life has turned full-throttle on us!

On Friday, June 27th, we welcomed in the newest addition to our family! Miss Shelby Amelia Anne Davis was born weighing in at 9lbs. 9oz. The boys were very excited to meet their new cousin, "Showbee" (as they pronounce her name). She is so adorable (as you can see)!

Miss Shelby Amelia Anne Davis

The next day, June 28th we celebrated Nana Jean (Wes' grandmother) 90th birthday. It was a hot day, but it was such a joyous occassion to gather together and thank the Lord for the blessing and influence she has had on so many lives. She has won so many hearts over to Jesus...she is an incredible example to all!

This past week was 4th of July and boy-oh-boy did Ethan LOVE the fireworks. Kai was more interested in everything going on around him...but would glance up at them here and there. We stayed home on the 3rd of July because there is a park behind our house that has a big firework show. We went to fill up a new little blow-up pool for the boys only to find out it had a hole in it, so we pulled out this little 99cent 2-foot pool and this is what happened:

Only Standing Room

That evening, we sat out in the backyard and watched the fireworks across the street. That night we also celebrated my mom's birthday.

Almost setting the house on fire! :)

Waiting for the Fireworks to start!

I tried taking a picture of the fireworks - didn't quite work though!

Ethan in awe of the Fireworks

On the actual 4th of July, we stuck with tradition and went over to Shepherd of the Hills in the late afternoon for their firework show. Each year it gets better and better. We always leave more impressed than the year before!

Here is Kai playing around trying to put on Grandma's sunglasses:

Ethan and Avonlea enjoying the fireworks with Grandma.

I couldn't resist putting this picture up. This is Daddy cooling off after a long run! How PRECIOUS - He is even talking on the play phone! :)

Busy Week

2008-06-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

Well...this week has been very busy.
Monday we went down to CHLA for Kai's check up on his blood counts. They were low when he was discharged from the hospital last week, so he had to stop his chemo. On Monday - they were still low, but they had gone up a bit. So, he started back up on half the amount of chemo he normally gets. So he takes half a pill each night instead of a whole one and on Mondays when he normally gets 4 pills, now he only gets 2. We go back on July 8th for his normal scheduled monthly appointment. His counts should be back up by then and hopefully he can restart his full amount of daily chemo.

Tuesday I took Ethan to the dentist. Many of you know that Ethan is missing one of his one year molars. When he was about 18 months old I was giving him a bath in the kitchen sink and he would always put his mouth around the faucet and drink the water and let it pour out of his mouth. He had been doing this for months and just got so much joy out of it and we really didn't think anything of it. Well that particular Sunday morning....he started to cry. We realized that the mouth of the faucet was stuck behind his molar and his jaw. We were trying to push his mouth forward to unhook it, but he got impatient and just yanked his head straight back. The molar, root and all, just popped right out and landed in Wes' hand. I was amazed at how big that little baby tooth was. We had called the doctor and he said there really wasn't anything to do, but when he got his next molar behind it to take him to the dentist and they would probably put a spacer in. So, he has just gotten the next molar so I took him Tuesday to get it checked out. He was such a champion. They took some pictures of his teeth and when the picture showed up on the computer screen, he said, "Those are my buuu-tiful teef!" Then they moved him into the dentist chair and when the dentist came he opened his mouth wide and said, "AAAHHH." He was so good. Anyways, long story short....we go back in 6 months to get the spacer put in. We have to wait until the molar behind it is all the way in so they have something to attach the spacer to.

Yesterday, Wednesday, I returned to the dentist to have my four wisdom teeth pulled. The two top ones were out, but the lower ones were impacted. I felt better than I thought I would yesterday. My bottom jaw is definitely a bit more sore than the top. Today, the most sore part of me is my tongue. It's bruised down both sides....must be from the apparatus that was holding it out of the way. And actually my left arm is a little sore...they only thing I can think is they must of put it in a certain position to keep it out of the way and it might of slightly krinked a muscle of something. WHO KNOWS? But I am just glad they are out. I was suppose to have them removed about 8 years ago!

Anyways...I am looking forward to slowing down the next few days. We'll see if the Lord allows it! :)

the HOT sun

2008-06-23T22:22:00.000-07:00

Today we were driving and the sun was going down. So, inevitably it was in the eyes of the two boys in the back seat! Kai is so overly sensitive to the sun - I felt so sorry for him because there was nothing I could do. He started crying and saying..."No Sun...NO NO....NO SUN...NO NO!" To this, Ethan replied, "No sun - don't burn my bruder (brother)" It was really cute! :)

Silly Ethan

2008-06-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

Funny story..

Today after church we went over to the hospital to visit Auntie Andie. She is pregnant and due in about 5 weeks, but is in for observation. I told Ethan that Auntie Andie was going to have a baby and we were gonna go visit her.

We went and saw her and I think that was when it clicked with him that the baby was in her tummy. Well, when we got home:

Ethan: Where's Auntie Andie?

Mommy: She's at the hospital.

Ethan: She's sick?

Mommy: Well...no...she is going to have a baby soon.

Ethan: Yah....the baby's hidin'.

Mommy: Oh really? Where is the baby hiding?

Ethan: In her bed. (When he saw her...she was in her bed)

Mommy: Yah, but actually the baby is her tummy.

Ethan: Yah....she ate the baby.

I couldn't help but share the simplicity of a child's thoughts :)

The Past Few Weeks

2008-06-21T16:31:00.000-07:00

These past few weeks have been pretty crazy for us - as you can read on our blog! :)

I do have a few pictures of the boys....some from Disneyland, some from hanging out in the backyard and swimming, and some from just everyday life! :)

Kai got a doctor kit for his birthday (how fitting). He and Ethan opened it and started playing with it right away. Of course, Ethan goes straight for the stethoscope because it's the biggest - but he had no clue what to do with it. So we handed it to Kai. Look - he is a professional. He put it straight in his ears and put it right on Ethan's chest to listen. It was quite cute.

Kai on the potty. I can't help it: ISN'T HE CUTE?!?!

On Kai's actual birthday we made a little favorite (chocolate pudding cake)....he enjoyed just spreading it all over his plate!

Kai enjoying his first (and only) night in the hotel down by Disneyland.

Daddy and his boys!

Ethan and Kai with Princess Jasmine - as you can tell....they weren't too sure of her.

Ethan and Kai with Chip. They absolutely loved him and Chip stayed with them for over 5 minutes. Then when he walked away....Kai was chasing after him. It was really cute how they just adored him!

Ethan - our skinny little Tarzan!

Kai enjoying an ice-cold popsicle on a 110 degree day!

Disneyland Cut Short!

2008-06-15T22:07:00.001-07:00

We were given a very generous gift from the Oaks Christian graduating class this year and this weekend decided to head down to Disneyland (those of you who know us well know that we ADORE Disney). We got a hotel and we ventured down on Friday evening with plans to go to the park on Saturday and Sunday and return Sunday evening. We went down Friday night and the two boys just LOVED being in a hotel. They were so full of energy. We had two queen beds so we treated them and Ethan slept with Daddy in one and I slept with Kai in the other. Boy was that a treat for them to sleep with us! :) It did take quite awhile for them to actually fall asleep, but it was fun (for the evening)! Saturday morning we went into Disneyland - we went on Pirates (they said they liked it, but they just sat their the whole time holding their blankets and sucking their thumbs - a bit scared). After we went on the Jungle Cruise - they absolutely LOVED all the animals. It was so cute to see them doing all the animal sounds everytime they saw a different animal. We then took the Monorail over to Downtown Disney and went over to Goofy's Kitchen for lunch. If you haven't been there - it's a must - especially with young kids! It's all buffet style and while you eat different characters come around to your table and visit with you and every half hour or so Goofy and the other characters go to the middle of the restaurant and dance and bang pots. It's very fun for the kids! They loved it. Kai's favorite was Chip (the Chipmunk) - Chip sat down on the floor was playing with the boys for about 5 minutes. When he got up to go to the next table Kai just walked off following right behind him. It was really cute!

After lunch we decided to venture into California Adventure for a little bit. We went over to Bug's Land and went on a few little kids rides and played in the water sprinklers. Then we ventured over to the Playhouse Disney show and Ethan came alive in there. It's an interactive show based on the cartoons on Playhouse Disney TV in the morning. Ethan knows the cartoons, so he was going nuts and just loved getting up and dancing and interacting with the characters. At this point Kai was really tired. He was very flushed and red and we thought he was just hot and maybe hadn't had enough to drink earlier in the day. So we decided after that we would take him back to the hotel to recoop and maybe take a little nap in the air conditioned room. Well we got back and he was breathing labored and VERY warm to the touch. He had a 102.7 and 103.4 fever! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! So we had to call CHLA. The doctor told us to go to the nearest hospital and have them call him upon our arrival.
We asked the hotel front desk and they told us the nearest hospital with an ER was Anaheim Memorial. So I took him down. THIS WAS A MISTAKE! This was probably the worst hospital experience in my life. Upon arrival I told them Kai was a Leukemia patient and needed to be seen immediately - please call his doctor at CHLA. The receptionist said, tell the nurse. Luckily the ER was empty so they took us in after about 10 minutes. When we got in the triage room we explained to the nurse that they are to call his dr. at CHLA upon arrival...she said tell the dr. Then she asked how much he weighed, instead of weighing him herself. Then she asked, "Is he allergic to any medicine?" I said no....so she said, "Ok...so he is not on any." I jumped in and said, OH YES HE IS! - She walked us into the main ER room where it's just curtains separating you from everyone else....so Kai had to keep his mask on. (Usually they isolate him to a room of his own because their are so many germs in the ER from everybody else.) They said they wanted to take his temperature rectally. THIS IS A BIG NO-NO. From day one of diagnosis we were told he may NEVER have that done because it runs such a high risk of them putting an infection into his body! So we told them he MAY not have that. About two minutes later another nurse came in to tell us he was going to take the temperature rectally. We explained again. Then about 10 minutes later the doctor came in and said he was going to take the temperature rectally because it's the most accurate. We explained again! He was so rude and gave us a big story about how we should have gone to Childrens hospital instead of coming to him....yada yada yada. Anyways....he said they didn't have ear thermometers so he took the mouth one and stuck it under his arm....that didn't work! Anyways...they couldn't get an accurate reading so they just marked down the temperature I had gotten at the hotel earlier! Then the doctor came in and said he was going to do blood tests and a chest x-ray because of his congestion. That was fine.

The nurse comes to access him and I told him that Kai was allergic to Tegadern (the clear tape they put over needle to keep it in place). So he accesses Kai - it took about 15-20 minutes for him to draw 5cc's of blood (it usually takes less than a minute). The end of the needle was sticking out of Kai's chest over half an inch....when he finished he couldn't get the saline flush to go through so he just didn't do it! During all this the guy was literally dripping sweat and wiping with a paper towel (not wearing gloves by the way). It was so disgusting! The patch job they put to hold the access in place was ridiculous. I understand that they don't do that everyday, but I am not a nurse and I could guarantee if I did it...the blood would have come faster and it would have looked a lot better! It was insane.

After they finally get him accessed the doctor comes in to say they want to catheter him to do some urine tests. Well, common sense would tell me if he can't have a rectal temperature....he can't have a catheter. So at this point...I told the doctor he would not do ANYTHING else until he contacted Kai's doctor at CHLA who requested to be called upon arrival. The doctor was furious and said he would call after he got all the results. We insisted that he would not do anything further until he called. The doctor was not pleased with us but decided to call. He came back to us about 15 minutes later and said...."Oh, we don't want to catheter him or do a rectal temperature because it runs the risk of introducing infection to him." (REALLY? I wonder where he got that!?!?!) Then he said, " And we are going to move you to an isolated room." Oh, that would be nice. Anyways....they bagged him for urine and started him on an IV. They said the chest x-ray showed some shadow on the left lung and eventually they came in to tell us that they were going to transport him to CHLA because they wanted to see him! THANK GOODNESS! Anyways....long story short....Kai had his 2nd ambulance ride. He was really cute sitting in his car seat that was strapped to the big gurney. We arrived at CHLA early this morning (12:10am) . By time we were admitted and in our room it was about 1:30am. The doctor came in and checked him out - He has an ear infection, yet again! They said his chest x-ray was totally clear. (HUH?)

Anyways....we finally got to sleep around 2:50 this morning. Kai is doing much better today. His fever broke about 3:30 this morning. He hasn't had one since. The doctors seem to think that his ear infection was the only thing causing the fever. They said he is getting these ear infections because he has been congested for so long. It's just continually draining into his ears. So they don't want to do tubes just yet. They are going to try giving him a nasal spray to stop the nose congestion in hopes that it will stop the draining into the ears...and stop all the ear infections.

We might get to go home tomorrow, but we don't know for sure yet.

This weekend wasn't anything that we had planned. It seems like anytime we make plans to do something we are admitted into the hospital. Sometimes we have nothing to do on the weekends and we sit at home all weekend. Other weekends when we plan ahead we have to cancel out for hospital trips. I am grateful that Kai is getting the treatment he needs, but sometimes it's hard because you feel like you can't really plan for anything because it could all change in an instance. I guess it's giving me a small glimpse of our future glory. The Lord could come at any time and I need to be ready for that time at ALL times in my life. :)

Pray that Kai can come home tomorrow. It would make our life a lot easier. Wes is going out of town for a convention on Tuesday for a little over a week....so if Kai stays in past tomorrow, it puts a little strain on us. But, we understand that the Lord is in control and already knows his exact discharge time and day.

Pray that the doctors have wisdom in making the right decision about Kai and his ears. We have battled ear infections since he was 7 months old. He had 8 in 5 months before he was diagnosed. Actually the week he was diagnosed he was supposed to go the Ear Nose and Throat DR. that week to set up a time to put tubes in, but instead we went to CHLA for a Leukemia diagnosis. So pray that the right decision would be made so Kai doesn't have to go through all this. It's gotta be tough on him to have ear infections so much and have to go through all these hospital visits!

Mostly, praise the Lord that this big ordeal was such a great learning experience for me. It really taught me to speak up and take charge with my children and the care they receive. Praise the Lord that this was only an ear infection and that we were able to transfer over to CHLA and we didn't have to stay at the Anaheim Hospital.

Hopefully I will put some pictures up of our short little stay at Disneyland later this week!

Kai's Birthday

2008-06-08T21:50:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is a big day in the Smith home! Our little Kai Kai is turning 2!!!
I put together a little slideshow of his past two years in our life. It really made me emotional, though! If it were up to me...I would have put about 500 pictures in the slideshow! I can't believe that two years have flown by already. I still remember the first time I laid eyes on him. He had long blonde hair that stuck straight off his head, with a little perfectly white streak on the side of his head (which, he still has). He was so perfect! It's been a long road for him and I can honestly say there was a time this past year when it was very clear he might not even make it to this day. What a joy it is to see this day come and to see him as healthy and energetic as he is. He has gone through more physical pain in his short little life than I (and probably most people) have gone through in a lifetime. And yet, he still has such a sweet spirit.

The Lord has truly been gracious to us with our precious little Malachi. He graced him with such a pleasant and easy going personality, which has definitely made this whole process quite a bit easier.

On another note, we go down to the hospital tomorrow for a regular monthly check-up. What a bummer that it has to be on his birthday. But, at least it's not an LP. Our appointment is at 1:30. Pray its short and sweet!

On a side note:

Kai,
I know you can't read this but someday you might. I am so proud to be your Mommy. You have opened my eyes to so much in the past two years. You have taught me valuable lessons that I hope to carry with me the rest of my life. You have taught me to really value the people around me and to realize how precious life is. You have taught me to rely solely on the Lord for comfort. I pray that in our life I may teach you the same. My biggest prayer for you is that you would come to a saving knowledge of the Lord and that you would someday learn to love Him whole heartedly. I pray that the Lord guides me and Daddy into raising you into a Man of God! I love you and I couldn't imagine life without you! You are my precious little one whom I dearly love! Happy 2nd Birthday Kai! I love you!
Love,
Mommy

Catching up Again!

2008-05-31T14:48:00.000-07:00

Well...again...it's been awhile since I have posted and I feel awful about that. I don't have any pictures this time....but as always, I do have some stories to tell!!

Kai is feeling much better! Thanks for all the prayers....Memorial Day weekend wasn't quite what we had planned and hoped for. Wes and I were to attend a wedding on Saturday. Unfortunately the Lord had other plans for us as Kai had a high fever on Friday morning and we had to go down to Children's Hospital. They admitted him and we didn't get out of the hospital until Sunday afternoon. So, unfortunately we missed the wedding! So, Amber and Matt we are SO sorry we missed your special day, but know that we were thinking about you and wishing we could be there with you to celebrate!

Ethan's Pink eye is gone....the drops worked fabulously! Of course putting them in wasn't so fabulous! Why is that always such a big issue with kids?!?! Both Ethan and Kai would drink a bottle of antibiotic if I let them (scary thought) but putting eye drops in is a different story. He did better than I thought he would, but would cry when he saw me coming with the bottle, knowing and anticipating what was gonna happen next.

We have been working SO hard at getting Ethan fully potty-trained. WHAT A CHALLENGE! That was put on hold big time because we have been so pre-occupied with Kai's treatment these past months. So the past two months or so we have really been trying to finish this concept with him. The other day, he made a huge mess in his pull-ups (if you know what I mean)....and we had a long talk about how big boys go in the potty and so on.....when I put his new, clean pull-ups on I told him to stay dry. I said, "No poo-poos and no waters (that is what he calls pee)" in your pull-up, okay?" To this, he replied, "Mommy, No poo-poos, no waters, NO PROBLEM!" I couldn't help but laugh....so now....everytime I put a pull-up on him...he says this little line. It is the funniest thing in the world! Kai on the other hand has been waking up from his naps totally dry....so the last two days I have put him on the potty and we have had success both days with "waters" only! But, that is a start! Who knows? He just might potty-train before Ethan!

I could use your prayers...my wisdom teeth which should have been pulled about 9 years ago are now causing a bit of pain in my mouth. My right bottom one is actually coming in now, but it's coming in on the inside of my gum (facing my tongue). It has been quite painful the last two days, especially anytime I try to eat anything that I have to chew (which is pretty much everything). So, I was able to squeeze in an appointment on Monday at the dentist. We'll see what happens! I really dislike going to the dentist, so this should be fun!

Besides that, Wes is doing well. His track season just came to an end last night. A girl on his team got all the way to State Prelims in the Pole Vault...so he was really excited about that!

Otherwise...it's been crazy around here...I guess it's just that time of year! Hope all is well on your end!
I will hopefully post some pictures later this week!

Hospital Day and Griffith Observatory

2008-05-13T22:15:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday was a long hospital day....here are some pictures from the LP in the morning. We were done with the LP at 9:30 and didn't want to sit at the hospital until his `1:30 follow up appointment. So we ventured over to Griffith Observatory for an hour or so...then got a bite to eat. We made it back in plenty of time for our follow up appointment. We got home around 5:15, only to return back to the hospital at 7:00 because Kai was running a fever. It turns out...he had an ear infection. (This was the very brief run-down of the day) - for the full version...visit www.caringbridge.org and type in malachismith (one word). :)

Here are some pictures from the day:

Kai waiting for the big "access."

Pouting because he saw the nurse come in and get everything ready to be accessed

"Do I have to do this?"

Accessed and not too happy about it.

Just about to go in for the LP

Just finished the LP and sleeping off the anesthesia

Leaving the hospital and heading over to Griffith Park

A nice close up - LOOK AT ALL THAT HAIR!!

Daddy and Kai in front of the Observatory

You can see the hospital from the Observatory...as you can see it was a cold and foggy day. The hospital is on the left side of the picture.

Leaving lunch....Kai is on the phone with his agent! :)

In the ER at 10:45 at night....LONG NIGHT!!

Pacific Park

2008-05-10T07:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took the kids to Pacific Park (the Santa Monica Pier). They had such a great time. We walked the pier, rode the ferris wheel, went on two other little kiddy rides, and went to the carousel. We ate lunch at Bubba Gump's then went down under the pier to the little aquarium (a bit waste of time with kids so little). They just enjoyed walking around in there instead of being in the stroller. :) Then we took them out to the sand. Ethan took off running and ran all the way to the water, without stopping. Kai on the other hand wanted to walk, but struggled to walk in the sand....it was quite cute! Then we got some ice cream and went home. It was a nice change from just going to the park across the street and the boys thoroughly LOVED the beach! Here are a few pictures from the day: Ethan wanting to get out and enjoy the freedom to run around....Kai just content to do what he is told :) A $0.50 thrill ~ you can't beat that! Daddy and Ethan at the top of the ferris wheel! Grandma and Kai at the top of the ferris wheel! Kai on the little car ride! Boy did they love this one!

It was fun to watch them during this ride and see how different they both are. The whole time, Ethan had this serious look of concentration, like he was really driving the car and he kept looking back at the car behind him almost like he was worried they were going to crash into them. And Kai on the other hand was just smiling away enjoying every minute. He would come around the corner and be laughing out loud he was having so much fun. They both had a blast - they just express themselves totally different!

Lunch at Bubba Gump's

Putting our feet in the water - but the boys wanted to go in further!!

Daddy and Ethan running from the waves!

King of the Sand

Looking at the Shark Tank in the Aquarium

The End of a Very Long Day!!!

Open House

2008-05-09T20:51:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time with everyone that came to Kai's Open House a few weeks ago. It was such a joy to be able to thank people personally for all the love and support and prayers they have offered up on our behalf. What a true blessing you all have been to us. Whether you were able to make it to the Open House or not, thank you for reading our blogs and always being so gracious by praying for us continually. We are eternally grateful.
Here are a few pictures from the day:

Note cards for Kai and of course an Orange Leukemia Ribbon

Yummy Cookies - Giraffes because Kai just can't live without them, Orange Leukemia Ribbons and Butterflies (the children's cancer symbol)

Malachi the Blueberry Thief

Our Guests:

Grandma and Grandpa

Aunt "Tine"

Mr. and Mrs. Miyashiro
ps - thanks for the super soft blankies! We love them!

Aunt Alison and Uncle Andy

Mr. and Mrs. Patton

The Martin Gang
ps - the kids had a blast with you even though I think they thought Chris was a little crazy! :) WE LOVE YOU!

Grandma and Grandpa Smith

Little Fernando (not so little), Alex, and Uncle Fernando

Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Andie, Avonlea, and "Bia"
ps- thanks for making the day so fun, girls!

Aunt Lorrie

Mr. and Mrs. Demarjian

Mr. and Mrs. Pope

How many kids can fit in the wagon?

LONG OVERDUE

2008-05-01T22:16:00.000-07:00

Okay - it's been awhile since I have put pictures up on here. I find that life just doesn't slow down - so, here I am at 10:15 at night (my quiet time has finally arrived)....and I desperately need to do this! :)

Here are just some pictures of the boys from the past few weeks:

This is one of my favorites - Kai has MASTERED the slide and absolutely loves it!

Ethan just loves being outdoors. When we are inside, he points out to the backyard and tells us, "I wanna go to that park!"

Avonlea and Kai + Cambria and Ethan = One Sore Grandpa!

Yes, that is a princess crown....

...and a princess wand!
WARNING: This is what happens when Grandma takes them to McDonald's!!!

He really can be a little angel!

2008-04-01T21:46:00.000-07:00

We recently took the boys in for their pictures - here are the results!

Not bad! They caught their true expressions - that's for sure!

Easter

2008-04-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

Here are the long-promised Easter pictures. The boys really had a great day! They had an Easter egg hunt, which was really funny. Kai figured out that if he followed the edge of the garden, all the eggs were right there. Ethan on the other hand would run from one side of the yard to the other and scream in excitement when he found it. (We always said he would be our runner!) Anyways....then they got to decorate Easter eggs. Ethan was at a really great age for this. He wanted it to be very precise and organized and really tried to hold the egg on the dip stick. Kai on the other hand was a bit young for this project. He would stick his whole hand in the dye - and three times we caught him just in time as he tried to drink it! It was crazy!

Our Little Kai Kai

Ethan devouring Jelly Beans!

Trying to catch all the bubbles

This picture makes me a little scared!

The Hunt is on

Before Decorating the Eggs

Ethan's Precise Decorating

Kai couldn't give a hoot about the eggs!

Trying to blow the "biggest bubble ever seen!"

Their cousins came over later in the afternoon and they got to do another Easter egg hunt with them! It truly was a nice, relaxing day to reflect on the wonderful blessing we have been given through the resurrection of our Lord!

Random Moments at the Smith Home

2008-03-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

Here are some random moments with these two wild boys the past week! They always keep us on our toes!

Kai getting ready to go run with Daddy!

Finding Ethan hiding in the closet!

Kai and his Happy Meal Pirates Bandanna - check out that cool gold earring! :)

Playing Catch-Up

2008-03-24T21:20:00.001-07:00

It's been a little while since I last posted some pictures of the boys. I have taken so many this past week ~ there is no way I can get them all up tonight. So I am going to work my way through a few days at a time. So come and check back daily for the next few days and you'll see our past week!

Last weekend, Grandma and Grandpa Smith came out to see us. We set up the easel and the boys painted them "Buiful" (beautiful) pictures! They used Dot Paint and it was so funny to see the difference between the two boys. Kai just put dots everywhere, slamming it on the paper - no rhythm and no rhyme to it. Ethan on the other hand put one dot on at a time and made sure that the dots didn't overlap at all. They were all evenly spaced. He was just SO careful ~ quite a bit of a perfectionist already! I wonder where he gets that?!?!

SO PRECISE

When Grandma and Grandpa came, they brought a Paint-by-water coloring book! The boys had a blast coloring the Winnie the Pooh pictures with them! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Dancing Boys

2008-03-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to get this video up for so long. I finally think I got it.
This is Ethan and Kai dancing to the Wiggles song titled "Here Comes a Bear."
It is so funny. Watch Kai closely as he spends most of his time watching what Ethan is doing and copying him rather than doing what the Wiggles are doing on the TV. It's really cute. However the highlight is the end of the video when the Wiggles say, "Now let's all give a big scary growl!" Listen to Ethan's growl, but Kai's is even funnier. ENJOY!

Ethan's Boo-Boo's

2008-03-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

So, just a quick funny story.
This morning.....Ethan must have gotten about 4 time-outs for taking toys, not sharing....etc. It goes on and on with him sometimes! Anyways....after his time-out we would sit and talk about what happened and about how he wasn't going to do it again. One time his feelings were so hurt....after we talked, I said, "Are you okay?" He said, "Cookie make me all better!" He did this twice this morning. He wanted a cookie to make him feel "all-better." It was quite funny - but no, he didn't get a cookie! :)

2008-03-10T22:43:00.000-07:00

Kai's Cute little Video

Ok....this is Kai's new game....he hides his favorite lion blanket (usually around his neck or on his head)...then pretends he can't find it!
It's funny...but only the first two or three times....but to him....it's funny ALL the time!

2008-03-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pictures of the boys from the last two weeks or so.

Ethan - all ready for church.

Kai trying on Daddy's Big Track Hat

Of course....Ethan had to try it on, too!

This look means trouble now...I can't imagine in 10 years!

Kai: the Popcorn-Bowl Martian

Trying out the Potty - no success just yet!

It's been warm enough to go outside a couple days so far....and boy has that been a nice change for them....and me!

"Peek-a-Boo"

Playing in the sandbox with cousin Avonlea

It's true - it is impossible to get 3 kids looking at the camera and smiling at the same time! This was after MANY attempts!

Figuring out this computer

2008-02-24T20:27:00.000-08:00

Ok....last night uploading the video of Ethan was REALLY easy...so I got confident and thought..."No problem..I'll put one up of Kai today!" Well, for some reason...it's just not working.
I will attempt it again tomorrow....for now...here is a cute picture of the boys giving eachother a kiss...or at least trying to!

Chicken - Fried - Coke

2008-02-23T19:40:00.001-08:00

You will first understand this video if you keep this in mind: Ethan, and now Kai, have learned what the Golden Arches are! They know that when we drive by McDonald's they have what Ethan calls: "Chicken-Fried-Coke" - this meaning that he always gets a Happy Meal with "Chicken" and "Fries" and a "Coke" - but he puts it all together for one funny phrase. We were running an errand this morning when Wes and I realized it was almost noon and the boys hadn't eaten lunch yet. We decided that we would just pick up McDonald's for them on the way home. I was trying to get a picture of Ethan in the car and he was being "Mr. Moody" and wouldn't smile or even look my way. When I told him we were going to McD's - his attitude changed REALLY quick (as you can see in the video! :)

BEGINNING MAINTENANCE

2008-02-18T21:49:00.001-08:00

Here are a few pictures of our day down at Children's Hospital today:

Kai in his hospital pajamas....which are WAY too big for him.

Sitting on his school bus bed, waiting for his port to be accessed

"Aren't I cute?"

They made him wait so long, that he actually took a 45 minute nap.

"Mommy's Little Angel"

Finally accessed. (As you can see, his forehead is red and splotchy from all the crying.)

Coloring in the waiting room

Passing the time with a good book (at least in his opinion).

Pre-Op

Post-Op

Still VERY loopy from the anesthesia after the LP. It took about 30 minutes for him to return to normal. He was quite entertaining, though.

Waiting in the exam room to see Dr. Mascarehnas (our Hematologist).

2008-02-17T09:14:00.000-08:00

Here are some more pictures of the boys. The past week or two Aunt Christine has been bringing her Wii over and when the boys go to sleep, we have been playing Dance Dance Revolution - that is actually quite a work-out! :) If it is set-up and the boys are awake, they love to romp around on the floor mats. Malachi watched us dance one time and he was trying to dance as well!

Trying to figure out the Moves

"This is fun!"

Trimming nails in the Bath

Look at those Lashes

...Never too many bath pictures

"My picture, too, Mommy!"

Kai receiving chemo at home

2008-02-06T14:45:00.000-08:00

So, the chemo at home went better than we thought. This picture is of Kai getting the cytarabine at home on the second to last day. As you can see, I think he started to adjust to it REALLY well!

He is even giving a "thumbs-up!"

"S-A-S-H" - the protocol for giving the chemo : Saline - AraC (cytarabine) - Saline - Hepron

Not much hair to wash anymore!

Eating his french fries.

Eating the Left-over Chocolate

2008-02-06T14:23:00.000-08:00

The boys were begging and begging for a cookie - so they had to wait until the end. They got the better end of the deal - they got to eat, lick, and smear the left-over chocolate ALL over the place. They thoroughly enjoyed it (as you can see)!

Ethan just getting into it!

Kai copying everything his big brother does!

"WOW! CHOCOLATE!"

CHEESE

ALL TROUBLE

Children's Hospital Visit - January 2008

2008-01-13T21:13:00.001-08:00

"I MAKE BALD LOOK GOOD!"

2008-01-13T07:45:00.000-08:00

TRYING ON DAD'S BEANIE

LOSING MY HAIR

BALD IS BEAUTIFUL

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-12-28T20:24:00.001-08:00

Children's Hospital Stay December 2007

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-12-28T20:18:00.001-08:00

Christmas 2007

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-12-28T20:07:00.001-08:00

Hangin' Out Around the House

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-12-28T20:00:00.001-08:00

THANKSGIVING WEEK

Pumpkin Patch

2007-11-01T16:24:00.001-07:00

Photobucket Album

The Smith's

2007-10-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

Light the Night Walk

2007-10-21T09:58:00.001-07:00

Using blog for Pictures

2007-10-21T09:14:00.001-07:00

Ok. I am planning on using this site just to post pictures of our family. Eventually when we are done with caringbridge we will move all our updates and info. to this blog. For now, enjoy the pictures of Kai's progress!