Happy November

November is an extra special month for us as it’s Mason’s birthday month. It’s really hard to believe he will be turning 6 years old on the 30th! He officially has his first loose tooth and after many conversations with Freya, he is rather excited about his loose tooth. We have had a busy week with school, school for real estate school for Drew and myself and dog school. Everyone has been healthy and at home able to do all these activities and that itself is a blessing.

Mason’s Perspective

We have actually had a lot of battles and just a lot of fun lately. I have been doing so much school work and actually I can write pretty good. We planted our seeds for a winter garden and I made all the signs, Scarlett helped but I couldn’t read hers so we aren’t sure what will grow there. Freya has really grown a lot lately and she is as big as Oakley now. She is super fast and we don’t have nearly the zombies these days because they know I have a Bear Wolf. Basically having a Bear Wolf in battle is like having an entire Army behind you. I have my very first loose tooth. I am a little excited and a little nervous although Freya told me loosing teeth is not a big deal. I am not sure if my new teeth will be as big and sharp as Freya’s but I’m okay with it if they are.

“We had just finished slaying zombies Freya was cleaning up the mess” ~ Mason

“Zombies don’t stand a chance!” ~ Mason

Freya’s Perspective

Freya our Bear Wolf has really had a growth spurt lately and now is even more of a freight train than before. She is absolutely wicked fast and instead of tirelessly chasing squirrels she stalks them, she’s such a thinker and I love it. She has started her CGC preparation course and in 5 weeks we will test. I have no doubt she’ll nail it because well, she’s obviously a star.

“Actually I don’t care how big she is, she will always be my baby Bear Wolf” ~ Mason

My Perspective

It’s been a busy week on all ends and there is something calming about this “good” type of busy. Our lives also look much different this year vs last year this time and I’m constantly reminded of just how far we have come. Two and half years into treatment so far, and it feels like much longer. Mason always has tons of questions about the kids we see while at clinic and getting treatment. He is especially aware of kids who are inpatient during the holidays. It makes him sad (obviously as it does us all) but it’s hard to have these conversations with your 5 year old. Hard in the terms of I wish I didn’t have to constantly explain the hard side of life to my son. It also warms my heart to know that Mason wants to help other kids who are also battling for life just like himself.

Since Mason’s diagnosis I always knew I would never be able to walk away from the world of childhood cancer. I never knew what or how I would remain connected but I knew it would happen. After many conversations with Drew and Mason, we agreed a charity to help other cancer children would be something we needed to do. One of the many things that was really painful was watching poor Mason be so bored while inpatient. I mean bored to tears, total cabin fever while on top of not feeling good, just painfully bored. With the inspiration of a friend of mine who was homeschooling her daughter I started creating STEAM (Science Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) bags for Mason to do while in patient. These bags were sanity saving for Mason, Drew and myself. It allowed Mason to be a mad scientist (his favorite) while in patient and for a just a short while, he was able to not be that “sick” kid in the hospital. Fast forward to today, and we are finalizing the details of our charity, The Childhood Cancer EDU Project and our mission is to encourage academics in children battling cancer. Big picture, we want to make age appropriate STEAM kits and have them delivered to our fellow warriors while in patient. Mason is very proud to be starting something that will make other kids fighting smile and learn new things (he loves to learn). He has already told me that Freya, HIS Bear Wolf is the official mascot for our charity. I feel like Freya will have no objections. Until next time….

“I really love to do school with Freya laying at my feet” ~ Mason