One Year Cancer Free!

So I might be putting the cart before the horse, but as of my birthday on June 20, I marked one year of being cancer free. I will get confirmation (hopefully) on July 30 when I go see my doctor, but I figure one year of knowing it was gone is worth celebrating. I got to spend the day with my family flying to Kansas City to see more family. It was so nice to be with people who I love and who love me. It is truly humbling to be sick and realize what an amazing life you have and how you just want it to continue and how much you want to just live. I look at my kids and am I so grateful to have them and for their health. Especially my son who endured cancer removal surgery with me and is now a thriving little 8 month old who is perfect. 

So I will take this time to say a friendly reminder to always have your doctor check your thyroid at your yearly exam - they just feel it through your neck and can tell if there is a lump that needs to be checked. Thyroid cancer is one of the fastest growing cancers, especially among young women. It is important anyway to get your yearly physical, so make sure they are checking your thyroid for lumps and your thyroid levels through a blood draw. 

I am also very grateful to my support woman, Anne, who helped me through the time that I was pregnant with cancer. I met Anne via an organization called Hope for Two. Hope for Two is an organization that provides a support woman who has gone through something similar to what you are going through. Anne had thyroid cancer while pregnant as well. She was amazing in helping me understand things and just someone who was there that understood what I was feeling and going through. A friend, Shannon, told me about this organization as she too went through cancer while pregnant. Shannon was also a great resource and help. I am so grateful for these two women and their support. If you ever hear of a friend or loved one who has to go through pregnancy with cancer, please connect them with Hope for Two. It is truly an invaluable resource. 

Finally, I leave you a photo of myself and my warrior baby on my birthday. I am so grateful that he and I made it through everything and are healthy and enjoying life. So very truly blessed. 

Jack is on the Move!

Jack is officially crawling - or army crawling/scooting. The kid is fast! The other day I went to fill the dog's water bowl and turned around and couldn't find Jack. I finally heard him under the kitchen table. He was doing his best to get outside to where his sister was. He is going to be tough to keep up with as he gets older I'm sure. 

Here is a video of him scooting a long and also one of him splashing away in the bath - one of his favorite activities. Enjoy!

Kneip Family Reunion

We headed to Kansas City on my 29th birthday - or the 5th anniversary of my 29th birthday, but who's counting? It was Jack's first airplane ride and Grace was beyond excited to fly with GG and meet her cousins. I haven't seen some of my cousins in a few years and was also excited to meet their kids. We all have kids around the same age and we knew the girls would have a blast. It was so nice to see family and catch up. I suppose if money weren't an issue we'd see each other more, but unfortunately we can't. It was a great time to all get together in one spot and catch up. Here are some photos from that fun trip!

Jack will not lay still during a diaper change and decided to have some naked time on the bed. 

With my girl on my birthday. 

Time to swim!

Aunty K & Uncle Mark

GG with Aunt Nancy

Grace with her cousin Audrey who is 4 - they had a grand old time. 

Grace, Audrey, Lily & Lo who are 2

The cutest twins ever!

Grace with Aunty K

Aunt Sue and Uncle Terry with their Granddaughters

GG and her grandkids. 

All of the girl cousins - the boys and some of the other girl cousins couldn't make it. 

Our family. 

GG with her brothers. 

Happy Father's Day!

Summer Fun!

Summer time means lots of time outdoors. I'm pretty sure Grace could be outside from sun up to sun down if we let her. We spend lots of time playing on the play set out back and we have filled up our little pool for some swimming too. And Grace has also been enjoying making her slide into a water slide nearly every time we water the garden. We are so happy we have a nice big backyard to enjoy!

Grace's First Dance Recital

Grace has been taking a dance class once a week at her daycare. A local dance school does a class in the daycare, which is great for us. One less weekend thing for us. As the class wrapped up they had a dance recital for the kids. It was fun to watch the younger and older children perform. And Grace was super cute. Here are some photos from the recital and a video of her dress rehearsal. 

Jack is 7 Months Old!

At 7 months, Jack was not sitting still - at all. So getting his 7 month photo was a challenge. He also liked to pull the sticker off and eat it. He is on the go!

Time to Garden!

Now that we have the house it is an adventure in learning about gardening and how to take care of a lawn and how the weeds are never ending! Grace loves to be a part of the garden experience and we took her with us to pick out flowers and decide what fruits and vegetables we should plant this year. We did a few more items this year than last to see how we could do. We planted corn, carrots, a pumpkin, cucumber, zucchini and blueberries. And of course the strawberries we planted last year are still going. So far everything seems to be growing well. We also put in two new rose bushes and dug up some old shrubs the old owners had there. The rose bushes are struggling, but I'm hoping they will come around!

Hopefully we have a healthy harvest here in the next few weeks. 

Mother's Day 2013

This year's Mother's Day was very fun as Katie flew in from Omaha to surprise my mom. It is always fun to have her visit and see her be Aunty K. Grace just adores Aunty K and was very excited that she and GG got to go watch her at swim lessons. We had a fun weekend of playing and celebrating my mom as well as me as a mother. 

Such a wonderful day. Happy Mother's Day!

Jack is 6 Months Old!

My baby boy is half way to one. He is growing so fast and is just a joy. I mean look at his smile! He had his six month check up and passed with flying colors.

6 Month Stats

19 pounds 2.5 ounces - 75th percentile

28 inches long - 90th percentile

An above average baby and growing fast!

And here are some photos of Jack and of the family for his 6 month photo shoot. It is crazy too see how much he has changed in just 3 months. 

Happy 6 months big boy!