My Funny Valentine.

Today as Levi arrived at the babysitter's house she was preparing Valentine crafts for the kids. The kids each had a plate with a small amount of red paint and a small amount of white paint. Levi looked at the plate and said, "Oh look! She has ketchup and ranch!" In case you didn't know, the world pretty much revolves around food with us! Here is a little slideshow of my kids. (You didn't think I would let a holiday go by without forcing you to look at pics of my babies now did you?) The song is dedicated to Claire and Drew. It's their fav and they LOVE to dance to it. The "cutie pie" picture is dedicated to Levi from Claire. She INSISTED on having her picture taken with the "cutie pie" heart so she could give it to Levi because that is what she calls him! It's pretty darn cute if you ask me!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Hope everyone has a HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

F1.

Dear Mr. F1 tornado,

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for deciding to touch down where you did on Tuesday night. You see, had you swirled just one mile north, you would have hit my dear friend's house. You may not know her but she's got plenty going on right now. Not only is she a wife, mommy, daughter, sister, friend, teacher and coach...but she is kinda sick right now. The last thing she needs is to have her home destroyed by the likes of you. Thank you for being so cooperative.

Sincerely and Fearfully yours,
Chrissy

Smells Like Chemo.

Today was chemo day. I hate chemo day. It means that my friend is hooked up to bags of poison. It means that my mom has a headache. (She has sympathy symptoms for Steph.) Which means that Steph has a headache. It means that once again....it's real. OOooohhhh how I hate cancer. I wish so badly it would go away and Steph could still take Friday's off to have girl time with me and mom. But, you know me....forever the optimist, so I will list a few things that I DO like about chemo day.

It means I get to pick up Drew from school and see the excitement as he and Claire jump up and down with delight and demand that we listen to Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make me Feel."

It means that I get to hug Steph as I return Drew to his rightful owner.

It usually means we get to eat together.

It means I get to hug her again as we leave.

We honestly don't get to spend enough time together so the days when we do get to hang out are precious to me. But it is so hard. Hard to imagine that she is so sick. It is so strange. Strange to think that this is really our way of life now. I look at her and she doesn't look sick. She is so brave and I am not sure if she understands how thankful I am for that. If it weren't for her strength, I would be a mess. I'm working on a post about that, but haven't found all the words I need yet. Please continue to pray for her, especially on chemo days. They.....stink. Which leads me to a story that is a little funny, and a little sad but 100% real.

Drew hugged his mom this afternoon and said, "Mom, you smell like chemo." He then followed up with, "you know like a hospital."

Ugh.

Another thank you note.

Thank you to Claire for screaming, "COHEN IS PEEING BY THE TREE," when we were trying to be discreet about our potty trainer who HAD to go at the park. Thank you to the 25 people at the park who let our kids maul their dogs yesterday on such a beautiful afternoon. (Especially the Millers! I WANT one of those dogs!) Thank you God for that beautiful day. Thank you to the people who throw their cigarette butts on the ground, it is because of you that we have daily discussions about how bad smoking is for your body. Thank you to my skin who seems to think that it is 1993 again and also to my hair who seems to agree...it makes me feel young again. (Note the sarcasm here.) Thank you to the nice lady at Lowes today who thought it was HILARIOUS when Drew bounced off of her booty in aisle 7 even though I warned him and Claire numerous times about the dangers of not looking where you are going. Thank you even more to that lady's husband who laughed even harder than she did and assured us that it didn't phase them....they have 9 kids and 10 grandkids! I am still giggling about it! With so much to be thankful for, I don't have time to do much else. That is my excuse for not cleaning my room right now....I'm too busy being thankful.

Touched by a Tiger.

Tonight we attended our first Lady Chiefs game of the season. It was a GREAT one. The girls played great and were so much fun to watch. I don't remember the score other than the fact that it was in our favor. What I will never forget was walking in and seeing a box on the table next to the nice lady taking money. They were collecting donations for the Stephanie Phillips Foundation. As I approached my dad who was at the concession stand I noticed there was another box sitting there. If that wasn't enough, the nice announcer man came on at half-time and said that the Freshman Lady Tigers would be passing the boxes around and urged everyone to put their spare change and dollars into the box. I sat and watched the girls go around and beg for money and I couldn't help but tear up. How sweet it was to see these girls put competition aside for the sake of a fellow member of this tight knit community. Brian and I had to chuckle when they played the song, "Man, I Feel Like A Woman" by Shania Twain while they were collecting the cash. If you know Steph, you know why it's funny. After the game they presented Steph with almost $700. I was doing just fine until Steph turned around with tears in her eyes. It gets me every time. As we were driving home I told Brian, "If you would have told me 10 years ago that Steph would stand in front of a crowd after a game and cry...I would have told you that you were out of your mind." But I guess that's what happens when you are touched by a tiger.

Thank you Lady Tigers...from the bottom of our little Chief hearts.

**On a lighter note**
We were walking into the Ozark gym and I said, "Claire, you will probably go to school here someday." She perked up and said, "And be a Lady Chief?!" Oh dear.

Double Duty.

I just heard a funny story. (By funny I mean a little unbelievable.) If you attended the Junior Varsity Lady Chiefs game against Central, you know what I'm talking about. Apparently, there was an oversight on Tuesday regarding the officiating situation for the game. There was no one there to officiate the game! Rather than wait for 30 minutes for someone to show up, Steph decided that she would take matters into her own hands! She was a referee for JV and head coach for varsity. I still can't believe that actually happened!

Let's hope we have refs for the Ozark game tomorrow. I will make sure Big Daddy wears his running shoes just in case! Good Luck tomorrow night girls! The Georges will be there (shamefully for our FIRST game of the season) to cheer you on!!! It's the least we can do since you showed up Saturday morning to watch our daughter sit on Nanny's lap and cry!

Super Fans.

Drew and Claire had their second basketball game this weekend. Drew is doing great and loving it. Claire....not so much. She still is very apprehensive. Drew stands out there with his arms up yelling, "I'M OPEN! I'M OPEN!!!" It's really very adorable. The league is so wonderful. They do 3 six minute "quarters" and then at half-time they do a short devotion followed by 3 more six minute "quarters." We talked about how we really admire Miss Jane (the sister of Kathy) for putting in so much time and doing such a wonderful thing for these kiddos. It is something that is building them up as Christians, athletes and individuals. We love it! One of the most impressive things to me so far is this group of girls.

This is a group of Steph's players. Sweet high school girls who are UP and at a game for 4 year olds at 8:30 in the morning!!! I think it says so much about the character of these girls as well as the relationship Steph has with her players. You girls are AWESOME! Thanks for making Drew and Claire's cheering section the biggest and the best!!! Good luck tonight! GO LADY CHIEFS!!!

Is this real?

On Friday after chemo, we had movie day at Nanny's. (My mom) While we waited for Nanny to get home Cohen snoozed in my truck and I sat and watched Drew and Claire play. They were in search of flowers for Claire's wedding bouquet. The settled for "nuts" and went about their business. They found some ivy that was still green and were so excited to find "LUCKY CLOVERS" to wish on! Claire wished for a lifelong friendship with her best buddy Drew and he assured her they would be friends forever. They sat on the little bench wrapped in each others arms and talked quietly. I will never know what they said, but I know they are bonded for life. I hope they never grow apart.

Enter Nanny. We don't need you anymore mommy/Chrissy. Go in. Make popcorn. Turn on Elmo in Grouchland. Use exercise ball...for throwing and bouncing of course. Hit Cohen harder than I planned. He falls face first into a hard toy. Mommy and Nanny should be concerned. Mommy and Nanny laugh uncontrollably while hugging Coco tight so hopefully he won't notice. (Sorry, it's just what we do.) Cuddle with Drew. Turn on Mr. Magoriums Wonder Emporium. Watch half. Give star ratings. Cohen and Drew...4 stars. Claire....1 star. Claire is being difficult. Kids play. Mommy and Nanny talk.

We talked about this situation. Steph has been a part of my life since I was a 6th grader. I can't believe what we are doing right now. Who would have thought that she would become one of my very best friends? Who would have thought that we would marry within months of each other and have our first babies just eight months apart? Who could have imagined that 3 months into my second pregnancy she would, very casually, tell us that Drew was going to be a big brother? I MIGHT have been able to predict all of that especially after she met Scot and he purposed with a fortune cookie. But I can tell you this. I NEVER imagined we would be helping her fight cancer. Mom said as she grabbed a Ziploc bag that Steph has to take with her after chemo she stopped and looked at it. It is labeled "Chemotherapy." She looked at Steph and asked, "Is this real?" Steph asks herself this question everyday. It just doesn't seem possible. Two years ago all the world was right. We both had new baby boys and Claire and Drew were carefree. We talked about pre-school, diaper rashes, tantrums and sibling rivalry. It's amazing how your world can change in the blink of an eye. Now we talk about genetics, chemo, side effects, scans and radiation. I have become borderline OCD when it comes to aches and pains. Right now, my back hurts and I catch myself wondering if there is a tumor causing the pain. I know good and well that it is the fact that I am out of shape and carry a 40+ pound two year old around. I stress about everything that I feed my children. We don't microwave in plastic. It's insane. It just doesn't seem real.

2 Cute.

Happy second birthday Levi!

This kid is awesome. With a vocabulary that won't quit and a weakness for anything Mickey Mouse, he will capture your heart in an instant. Sweet sweet baby, we welcomed you into our circus with open arms two years ago. You squeezed right in and found your place. We love you big boy!

New Information

Steph received a call from Houston regarding the results of the genetic testing they did. Keep in mind, we were told that it was NOT genetic but the docs in Houston weren't convinced. They did some more research and found that it is in fact a genetic mutation that is to blame for her cancer at such a young age. They call it HNPCC-Lynch syndrome. The only thing that has them puzzled is the fact that no one in Steph's family (that she knows of) has had the types of cancer that would indicate this syndrome and it does not skip generations. Needless to say, they are very interested in her case. This news was received with mixed emotion. Because it is genetic, it is less likely to be a random aggressive cancer, which may make it easier to treat. But, as all of you mothers out there know, you never want to pass anything but love, traditions and heirlooms to your children.

On a lighter note Miss Kathy sent these really great pictures of what the boys did while Steph was at her appointments last month in Houston. Again, we are so thankful to have Tim and Kathy to lighten the load during such a stressful time. Thank you a MILLION times over.

Look at these faces....all three of them!! They are having a blast!

Giddy up Mr. Tim!

Happy Boys.

No Chemo Today.

Steph and Mom spent ALL morning waiting to see what Steph's levels looked like. She had been sick last week and just KNEW the shots they were giving her weren't working. She was right. The nurses were completely baffled. They kept telling her, "This NEVER happens." So she won't be having chemo today. They will give her three more shots and she will be doing chemo on Friday which REALLY stinks. Why does it stink you ask? It's Levi's birthday.

They are going to give her a shot on Friday after chemo that is bigger and better than the series of 3 shots she has been getting to keep her levels up. The only problem with that one is that the insurance companies are pretty picky about how they cover it. Maybe it's the $4,000 price tag it comes with. The doctors office is going to call and check it out and they think they will work with them on it.

Continue to pray as God works miracles in Steph's body. I also wanted to wish everyone a happy and HEALTHY 2009! It's a little late but hey....that's how I roll.

I TRUST in YOU.

That is what I kept repeating today. On the way to school, on the way to Target (retail therapy), on the way to Hobby Lobby and even a few times IN Hobby Lobby. I don't even care if the lady in the fabric department thought I was off my rocker. In fact I was kind of hoping she might ask WHO I trusted in, because I have a hunch that lady could have used some good news today! Anyway, it was strange this morning. I didn't feel the need to ask this morning. All I could come up with was, "I TRUST in YOU LORD." I do. I TRUST Him. I TRUST His plan. This is the kind of stuff I used to hear and be so baffled. Where do these people get this kind of faith? I never knew how people made it through such tough times. But now I know. NOW I understand. I wasn't hungry then. I didn't thirst for the Word of God. I didn't know pain so how could I possibly understand the need of something so much larger than myself? Some might say I was blessed...and I was. Blessed because Jesus knew me inside and out. He knew that there was a work to be done in me before he could throw the hard stuff at me. Thank you Jesus.

We were thrilled to find out that the tumor is shrinking. We were starting to (as you could probably tell) get worried. Every time Steph would have a pain, we panicked. So to find out that the cancer has not spread was good news. To find out that the tumor has shrunk....WONDERFUL NEWS! She will continue with chemo for a total of 4 months (possibly 6) and will go back to Houston in two months for another scan. They will then decide if they want to continue with chemo or put her on a "maintenance program" which is a lower dose of the chemo. They also told her that she is a candidate for ERBITUX at some point if needed. This was good news because as many of you know, with colon cancer, treatment options are pretty limited. So we will stay on this course and pray that she won't need the Erbitux....EVER! But it's comforting to know that she is a candidate, just in case.


Now, on a lighter less medical side, let's talk about those adorable Phillips boys. They went to dinner on Tuesday night and then to the ice skating rink. Levi kept yelling, "Put skates on me NOW!" If you know Levi, you know that he is VERY articulate for a 23 month old. He also has a pretty good idea about what he wants! They were afraid that if they put skates on him and let him go, they may never catch him! Drew was so excited about skating. He told Scot, "Come on dad! This could be our own special moment together!" They had to pay extra because when everyone MELTED on the rink, it caused a big mess.



I was so excited to report our news when I picked the kids up from school. The first person I told was a mother of a little guy in Claire and Drew's class. She flagged me down in the car line desperate to know if we had heard anything. She is no stranger to the feeling of waiting for this type of news. Her little guy fought for his life not long ago at the tender age of 2. When I told her she was in tears and we talked about how our children are being changed because of this cruel disease. We agreed that they are seeing God work miracles. I shared with Miss Sandy and she literally jumped up and down and screamed in the car line! Another momma had already gotten the news via my moms original text. It was a VERY happy day in the car line today!



Please take the time to stop and THANK GOD for the work he is doing in Steph. Thank you all for praying and continuing to pray for Steph. You guys are wonderful. Really, you are. Please have a MERRY CHRISTMAS! I KNOW we will!

Sending my love to each and every one of you!

No words.

Wondering where those adorable boys stayed during the appointment today? Well let me tell you. If you recall last time Steph went to Houston she stayed with Kathy and Tim. Kathy's sister Jane flew down with Steph and was so helpful. Well, Kathy and Tim offered their babysitting services so that Scot and my parents could all go. It is so important to have multiple sets of ears during such important appointments. NOW, when I say babysitting services, I don't mean sit and watch them play. I'm talking about playing WITH the boys and truly enjoying them. How do I know this? Because after the appointment Drew said, "Miss Kathy, are you guys going to lunch with us?" She told him she probably would and he replied, "Oh good! You just make my heart so happy!" My mom said they are two of the most amazing people she's met in a LONG LONG time. She said as soon as she looked at Kathy, she just felt the need to hug her. We are a hugging family, but rarely feel the need to hug people we have never met before! I'm not sure that they will EVER know how much we truly appreciate them. The best I could come up with was their very own post!

Tim and Kathy,
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking such good care of the Phillips family. For once, I am truly having a hard time finding words here. (ask my family how many times that happens!) So here are a few, in no particular order, that come to my mind.

Amazing, friends, saints, blessing, gracious, sweet, awesome, dear, loving, fun, angels, wonderful and sent straight from Heaven.

Love, hugs and prayers,
Chrissy

This just in!

I just got a text from my mom. This is what it said.

"TUMOR HAS SHRUNK BY 30 OR 40 PERCENT! I'll call as soon as I can!"

PRAISE GOD! This is SUCH great news. God is so good! I will post again later when I get home and talk to them. Thank you so much for praying. We feel your prayers. We REALLY do.

Fun day!

Today is just a fun day. I think most of the gang was headed to the Space Museum. Drew was excited to see the rocketships. My mom is going to spend some time with one of her best friends who moved to Houston years ago. Steph's appointment is at 11:30 tomorrow to find out the results of the scan and discuss how we are going to procede. Please continue to pray and lift her up to the Lord. We KNOW that HE is in control. HE is the almighty physician and we trust in His plan. I am supposed to be the first phone call tomorrow. I will be out and about so I am taking my laptop along. I will most likely stop off at San Francisco Oven (a little plug for our favorite breakfast and lunch place!) and post if I can. If not, I will post as soon as we get home from school which is usually around 1:30. Stay tuned.

For now, I will leave you with some humor. If you know me, you know I love a good bodily function. I don't know why, but toots are funny. So here is a family favorite. Drew has been watching it on my blog and can't get enough! Listen closely, and ENJOY!

Miss you much!

No one has called me today! We missed Drew tonight at basketball practice and at the Christmas program last night. I'm starting to wonder how next year is going to go when Claire and Drew go to different schools. She sure does miss having him right by her side!

From what I understand, we will not know anything until Thursday. But I will continue to pass along what information gets thrown my way. I can't wait until they all come home. I don't like them all being so far away!

Free Entertainment.

It's only 3 months late, but I just did a slideshow of my baby boy and decided to share it with my loyal readers. His two year pics (in the red tie) are by our very own Auntie Karen. Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The Good News

What a wonderful morning it was at Riverbluff Fellowship this morning. Pastor Scott delivered in true Watson fashion. He spoke about the "Good News!" It was, as usual, just what we needed to hear. In our lives we are inundated with bad news. The news rarely reports anything good. The economy...bad news. The war....bad news. Cancer....bad news. Poverty, famine, abuse, neglect....it's all bad news. But guess what? I have some good news for you that will ALWAYS be the same. It will always be GOOD.

God sent His only son to this earth to die for our sins.
We are FREE because of Jesus.

That's some pretty good news. News that we must focus on during the tough times.

I was doing well keeping my emotions in check. Until Claire turned to me and we had the following conversation.

Claire: "Mommy, I want to go with Nanny."
Me: "No, remember we talked about how Nanny and Papa are going with Steph and Scot to the doctor in Houston."
Claire: "Well, then I want to go with Steph."
Me: "No, you can't go with her but when we miss them we can say a prayer for them."

I then diverted her attention to the advent calendar at home waiting for her, and all was well. She then turned to Steph, hugged her tight and said, "I will be praying for you Steph." This momma was so proud. We hugged and loved on everyone and sent the crew off to Houston.

I spoke with them at about 6 and they were 100+ miles from Texarkana which is where they are staying the night. They said the boys are being ABSOLUTE angels. No doubt due to the numerous prayers being sent up on their behalf. They stopped in a little town at a flea market because they saw Santa. Drew wanted to get out and talk to him. He came back to the truck and reported that Santa talked really funny. (They were in Arkansas!!!)

I will be posting updates often. In the meantime, I will be cuddling up with my family and trying to stay warm. I just got home from the store where I bought WAY too much food in anticipation of a storm! (Which by the way, I shopped with the entire town of Ozark this evening!!)

O Come all Ye Faithful!

I was so excited to have lunch with my mom and Steph on Thursday. Steph seemed to be feeling much better. We enjoyed a quiet lunch at San Francisco Oven and discussed what we will be getting our big strong men for Christmas. (Besides our undying love of course.) Mom and Steph had just returned from taking Drew to the doctor. I wish I could say that it was just for his flu shot. But it wasn't. As he likes to say, "I am having potty issues." They are did a renal ultrasound on him yesterday. They are supposed to call Steph next week with the results. Please pray that this is nothing. Because....really? I keep telling myself that God never gives us more than we can handle. I know this is true. But is it possible that God may have overestimated us a little here? Just wondering.



Today I was very excited to hear that Steph's spirits seem to be much better. It is so hard in the world of cancer to stay positive. We are surrounded by it. But everyday, we make a choice. Are we going to let fear get the best of us? Some days, yes. It happens. We are only human. But most days, we choose to put our faith in God and trust in His divine plan.



Tomorrow we would like to invite ALL of our readers to Riverbluff Fellowship to enjoy a morning of worship. My parents will be picking up the Phillips family and bringing them to church. They will all leave from there to head to Houston. Steph will be rescanned and we will have a better idea of how the chemo is working this time around. I can't think of a better way to send them off than a morning with Pastor Scott Watson and the rest of our Riverbluff family. So please join us at 10:00 am at Riverbluff Fellowship. They can be found at the corner of Evans and Thetford Roads in Ozark, Missouri, just West of US Highway 65. Take the Evans Road exit. Come early for coffee and donuts! I hesitated to post this because I know there are crazy people out there who stalk blogs and steal kids. But, I'm going to trust that the Lord will keep us safe. And if you are a crazy stalker who wants to steal my kids, please just sit through the service first and I can almost guarantee that you will leave a changed person...so no need to steal the children. PLEASE PLEASE join us! Then, if you REALLY want to church it up tomorrow, you can head across the highway to James River and catch the 11:30 Christmas service. It's the place to be if you like Christmas music and worship! Please just consider coming tomorrow to RBF. Does it sound like I'm begging? Well I am. Just do it. Now I'm being bossy. I come by that honest, just ask Steph!



Steph,

I'm praying with all my might sister.

Love,

Chrissy

Sick and Tired....

of being sick and tired. Chemo this week was not good. Steph is very sick and we all are very anxious for her appointment on Monday. My mom and dad will be going with Steph, Scot and the boys to Houston this time. They are driving up on Sunday afternoon. She will be scanned again and I think will get the results sometime soon after that.

Please pray for healing. Pray for safe travels for my family. (By family, I mean Steph, Scot and the boys too!)

I will keep you updated as I get news.