camryn turned 7

So we made a video to her favorite song (that day). Why that song? I know not. Enjoy.



if you can't see it ( I don't know why I can), try this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI1Y-hC0FyI

Things, mostly

I went to visit my new house today. We had a good chat. I welcomed it to the family. I told it that we'd be friends forever. I told it that as a member of my family, it will get lots of love but I can't always guarantee that it will be clean. Like my kids, it was a big struggle to get and I couldn't be happier. I realize it will be a lot of work, but so worth it. This house is really mine and I don't have to worry about not changing things to suit my own personal style because of resale. I can make forts out in the forest and dams in the stream. Mason and I can sit on the end of a (future) pier and fish for fish... or snapping turtles. I can paint things and knock out walls. Oooh! House doesn't know what hit it! This is going to be awesome. Come over, ok?

Here is something else. The other night I took my kids to Gator's and as I got them all out, I waited by the door of the van looking inside and Sienna said,"who are you looking for?" I counted my kids and realized they were all there and shook off the weird feeling that they weren't. But then I had the same feeling on Wednesday when I was getting all the kids into the car for Sisi's piano lesson. I don't think I'm a freaky person that has lots of weird premonitions or anything like that, but it was a very real feeling. So, you know, I hope this means that in the future - way in the future - I might be able to have another baby. I am not allowed to even try until 2 years from my last radiation treatment... so that means January 2010... and we might not be able to have any more anyway because of the effects of the chemo. Yet, I'm hopeful. I know, I know - I already have four and they are dirty and have their shoes on the wrong feet. But I love them. I feel like whether I can have one on my own or have to adopt or something in the future, there's another one out there. Remind me in a couple years when I say,"ARE YOU CRAZY?? NOW WAY!"

Wow. That was personal.

$3.71. C'mon!

That's what our gas is today. What's yours? Big oil jerks.

Mason, Mason, Mason

I had to put this tough-guy picture first so that it might balance out some of what I've said and also will say about this little dude.

The other day his babysitter asked him if Taylor was his girlfriend. He said,"yes!". Then she started teasing him saying,"Ooooh! Are you going to get married and be the daddy and Taylor will be the mommy and have lots of babies??" He laughed and said,"NOOOOO!! SHE's going to be the daddy and I'M going to be the mommy so she can go to work and I get to VACUUM!!"

A note from Clinton:

hi shelby,
i haven't read my website for a while. (life's a little busy these days.)
just wanted to say that it was great to meet you and that your story really touched me. i'm so glad WNTW could help you through your tough time. honestly, it means a lot to me that i can provide a little "info-tainment" for people who can use it.
i hope you enjoyed the macy's presentation. when i'm in town again, i expect to see you looking all healthy and glamorous.
xo,
clinton

What's Shakin'?

So I woke up at about 4am to my house shaking back and forth, back and forth. I thought it was a tornado and ran instantly to the window. (If there is anything I have learned from living in the midwest for the last nine years, it's that you should run right to a window in a tornado so that you can see it. Don't worry about shards of glass chasing your guts like the knives that flew around the old Tom & Jerry cartoons.) When I looked outside, the trees were still. Then my house started shaking again! The mirror was slamming against the wall. It was crazy. We ran downstairs and turned on the tv but all it told us was that an incredible new machine would make our abs flat faster than we can say,"was that an earthquake??!!"

It was! 5.2! I have an inspection and an appraisal on my house today and now I have an excuse for why it looks like it does. Something really did shake it!

SOLD!

Just a note to say we sold our house this past weekend. Phew! Thanks for your prayers. I'll never clean again! Just kidding. I actually cleaned it to perfect again yesterday just for me. Not for a showing. Not for company. Gotta go - preslie just threw her bowl of cereal.

Am I SHUT UP?!

A confession.

I had a bit of an obsession with What Not to Wear (on TLC) while I was sick. We didn't even have cable before that, but we figured I had a lot of "couch time" ahead of me so we got it. I used to watch this show back in Milwaukee and liked it but Clinton Kelly wasn't the co-host yet. ANYWAY, I found it again and started tivoing every episode. I feel sorry for everyone who came to visit me. I made them watch it too. I wandered around awake at night (steroids) rubbing my hands in a devious way while I came up with schemes to get nominated for the show. Obviously, nothing came of it, but I'm so glad there was something else for me to obsess over besides cancer all the time.

My friend found out that Clinton Kelly was coming to St. Louis, she got us reservations. He is even nicer in person. He was very gracious and interested and never acted like all of the freaky obsessed women were a bother. So now we're best friends and even have BFF necklaces and plan on going shopping together bi-weekly. Maybe not, but it was a really fun day.

Oh yeah, and here is my hair. It's dark, huh? I don't like when it makes a vampire point like that. I went back and forth about wearing my wig to this, but I thought it would be better if I looked cancery. It got me front of the line again! Cancer really is the gift that keeps on giving. I get a lot of compliments on it but I do not like it. I sometimes feel that people feel a need to say how cute it is to make me feel better. I think I look a little like I like the ladies, woo woo! I think a hairstyle like this takes a lot of confidence to pull off and I'm not really there because I didn't choose it, you know? I blush all day when I'm in public like this. But it is hair and I am grateful!!

Batter up!

Ok, bases were loaded, three balls - two strikes... the bottom of the clichè. Camryn's class was chosen to sing the national anthem at the Cardinals Game last Wednesday. I'm pretty sure they were selected because they were the class that could best sing it to the tune of "Happy Birthday". It was a great game. We beat the Rockies 234 to negative three. We had terrible seats and it was really cold. Doesn't matter, though. It's so fun to just be there.

I look like I'm wearing one of those hats with the fake hair sewn in. Ha ha. I'm getting braver. I've gone out without my wig a few times. Camryn told me to be sure to wear it when I went to eat lunch at her school with her on her birthday. Why? "Because you have the same hair as the boys in my class!" I do.