This is how we roll ...

 

THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2011

This is how we roll....

Recker loves, loves, loves the pool, well actually he just loves water.  You may be wondering why he is nakey ....  well here at the Williams home we run nakey.... just kidding...on the one day we take him in the pool without his swim diaper on he decides he wanted to go doo doo.  So I hurried and took off his swimsuit, got a diaper but in the meantime this is the picture I got.   Don't judge.... ha ha  
Take a look at his toes, they always slip away in these flip flops, I love the baby Havaianas so cute.

Fathers Day 2011

 

SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 2011

Father's Day 2011

This post is dedicated to my incredible husband, Eric, it's Father's Day today, and as I write this, I'm thinking of him. I don't have a father to celebrate with, and neither does Eric, so we will celebrate with our children.

Eric learned to be a dad from his own father, who was so special to us.   Ray passed away a few years ago, and I'm telling you from the bottom of my heart, I loved him so much... he indeed was the only dad I knew. I felt so blessed when Eric and I started dating. I fell in love with his mom and dad. and Viola in my life; they were actual examples of unconditional love, not only for one another but for everyone they came in contact with--I love you both and miss you every day--If there was one woman I would like to pattern my life after it would be Eric's mother-she showed me how a mother loves her children. She showed me love every time I was around her. I heard a song the other day that said that if going to heaven were easy, he would pack up his kids and visit; I have to agree with that; the 1st people I want to see are Ray and Viola Williams. With parents like Eric had, it's no wonder he turned out to be such a fantastic husband and father to our children.
Have you ever felt a little proud of a decision you have made? One of the best decisions of my life was marrying Eric; he has blessed our family. My girls adore him; we also get a good laugh at his expense (sorry, Eric, but you make it so easy sometimes). Blake has grown to respect and admire his dad; not one week has gone by since Blake has been gone that Eric has not written him. Personally, Eric has supported me and loved me unconditionally through my cancer treatments, showing our children how to take care of his wife during such a crisis. Thank you, Eric, you have helped to change my life for the better; together, we have raised 4 wonderful children, and I could not have survived without you. I am blessed to call you the father of our children. Happy Father's Day !!

Today, we had "man food" for dinner--steak, potatoes, asparagus, and rolls- and Eric got his 1st pair of TOMS.  

Mayo Clinic Visit

 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

Mayo Clinic Visit-

Needle for accessing my PORT

I went to Mayo Hospital yesterday for some tests..... still looking at that hip. It was a year ago this month that I finished up my radiation treatments. One of the doctors told me yesterday that Mayo is building a new radiation department at the Hospital. He explained how the new system is so precise that it hits the tumor no matter what size at a 99.9% effectiveness rate, with no room for error. This is so awesome for the world of cancer.

Yesterday as I walked into the Mayo Hospital, I felt calm and at peace until ........ I stepped off the elevator onto the floor, the floor where it all goes down, you know what floor I mean? The chemo floor reeked of chemo smell and made me sick to my stomach; as I waited outside the door for my beeper to go off, I was pacing and remembering and wishing Tamy was there to help me "get over" this panic attack I was having. I mean, seriously? It's been over a year since I've been done with chemo, yet I am sick every time I get there. When I walked into the room, I immediately saw a young girl undergoing chemo treatments. She could not have been more than 16-17 years old. My heart started to race as I sat across from her and watched her being injected with that RED dragon. The nurse took my vitals and said I needed to calm down; I thought to myself, "I wish I could, I really wish I knew a way to do that" She accessed my port, took my blood, and I was outta there. When I got to my car, I had to take a deep breath and remember where I'd been, how far I had come, and where I was going--

Chemo Brain

 

MONDAY, JUNE 13, 2011

Chemo Brain

I feel the best I have felt in 2 years; thank you, Heavenly Father, my prayers have been answered. Blake will be home in 3 short months, and I want to look healthy for him. My hip pain has subsided. It's extraordinary. There's a spot on the bone they still are not sure what it is; once I started to exercise again, the pain went away. I also came back from MLOA to US AIRWAYS about 6 weeks ago. Seriously I had no idea how smart I used to be.... haha! I

I was diagnosed with chemo brain; I forget things all the time. I forget my children's names even when they are looking right at me, and I forget simple daily things that should come easy to remember. Now that I am back to work, I realize how much knowledge I had, and being re-trained has been difficult. I have to write everything down. Just so you know, chemo brain is an actual condition some patients get after undergoing extensive amounts of chemo... boy, that's good to know. I was beginning to think I had the start of something new like Alzheimer's or dementia; those are awful diagnoses to have.  
It's fun to see people at work I have not seen for a long time; some will look at me and say, "Oh, did you cut your hair?"  I just smile and say, "why yes, yes I did"  I am only working 4-hour shifts a couple days a week, but I am thankful to be back to work and challenge my brain a little. I feel like my life is finally getting back to a "Normal" I can live with.

Blake in Puerto Plata-3 Months Left

FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 2011

Blake in Puerto Plata-3 Months Left

Blake with Columbus

Blake's on TEAM MOM YA

Blake and a Cannon

Blake with the other missionaries and the MANGOS

This week has been really hard and really rough. The rain hasn't been helping us at all either. Rain has been pouring down, and all the streets have turned into little rivers. The water has been getting in all the houses here; we usually get to the place soaked in water. I am again umbrellas. The first one I had was the last that I had. I told myself that I would not use another one. I love the rain sometimes, haha. Well, this week for P-Day we hiked this mountain and walked something new we went and hiked the biggest mountain here it took 6 hours in the rain too. It was soo muddy that the whole zone went. It got rough cuz there were parts that we were jumping and hanging on to roots and branches and trees to save our lives, haha, and this 15-foot-straight up Rockwall we had to climb, but we had to use the roots of the trees and the branches cuz we made our own trail from the bottom it was soo fun. In the wild, there were so many wild mango trees, bananas, and everything we ate soo many. It was a lot of fun. I fell down this muddy mountain like 30 feet rolling backward with another Dominican cuz I was pulling myself up from his foot, and the branch he was holding broke off, and we went flying down. I nailed my head.   When I finally realized what was going on and grabbed a banana tree and stopped me and the nhe came rolling down and nailed me and this 30 foot muddy part we climbed took like 45 min......but we finally did it and made it to the top we couldnt take pictures cuz it was all raining but it was fun a lot of energy was sucked out of me.....and today we went to this place where Christopher Columbus was when he came here and its just a sweet fort with cannons and everything it was a lot of fun......well we have put a baptisimal date with the family Diaz and its for the 18th of this months so we are trying all that we can to get them married so they can finally get baptized and can achieve one of their goals we have been working really hard to find new people its really hard here cuz of all the churches that are here but theres people waiting for us we were able to find this new family Carlos and Yanni and they are really religious people and love it everytiem we go there and they read what we leave the mand as well are praying and the wife said that before he never prayed but now he is and he and her said that they want to go to church they have 6 kids so its a big family.......well we are going to try and baptize thsi guys David this weekend he is the bishops dad he has been listening to the missionaries for 10 years and goes to church every week but i have realized he doesnt have a testimony of the BOM o the restoration and we have been working a lot with that but who knows his whole family is member even his wife shes gone trough the temple she lives in Florida.

I LOVE YOU GUYS AND MISS YOU A LOT

elderWILLIAMSSS

 

Recker is Accepted to YALE

 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2011

Recker is Accepted to YALE

Recker is the 1st in our family to be accepted to an Ivy League College, wow and he's only 18 months old--I told you he was bright, fun, and happy ----Ok to be honest, he was accepted to the Yale Autism Child Study Center.
Kayla had a 2-hour interview over the phone with them last week about 
 Recker was possibly accepted to the department for a research study. We have prayed for our little Recker and fasted for him on Sunday.

They will do an intense 2-day study and write an average of 50-page recommendations and reviews for Kayla and Jeremy. It will include what they should do, intervention and therapy-wise, for him for the next couple of years. 
Then between the ages of 3-4, they will go back and do it again from ages 8-9. Getting into this program is not easy, and people pay close to $5000 out of pocket because insurance will not cover this type of study. Recker is so young, and I'm sure he does not understand what is happening. But because Recker is so young and we caught it so early, Kayla and Jeremy will be compensated by Yale (not $5000, not even close...but it's better than having to PAY THEM) each time they go. Anyways we will be going in July......YES, I said "We"  I get to go too, 
I'm so excited that they include me since I fly for free. It helps out. 

I TOOK THIS INFORMATION FROM KAYLA'S BLOG:

"The Yale Child Study Center's Developmental Disabilities Clinic provides various services for children with pervasive developmental disorders. This clinic 
Builds on a long tradition of research and service at Yale for children and adolescents with autism and related disorders and their families. Comprehensive evaluations are provided by a multidisciplinary team of highly experienced clinicians. These evaluations occur at the Child Study Center over two days, focusing on the diagnosis and educational programming/intervention issues. Each review has three components: psychological testing, speech-language testing, and a psychiatric assessment. The assessment team works together to provide a report typically provided ten to twelve weeks after the evaluation. A significant portion of the information is devoted to intervention and educational planning recommendations. Depending on the needs in a specific case, referrals to other professionals, e.g., pediatric neurologists or genetics, can be provided."

GO BULLDOGS !!!!

"in addition to our long-standing clinical program for children 
with developmental disorders such as Autism and Asperger 
syndrome, the Yale Child Study Center is one of the foremost 
research centers for autism spectrum disorders
in the world. Several of our active protocols involve an 
assessment of your child's cognitive functioning and social 
communication characteristics. The assessment, an oral 
feedback and written reports are provided for research 
participants. The assessment is tailored to the research protocol 
but may be able to start you on 
your way while you still pursue a more tailored evaluation for 
your child through the clinic." 

30-Year Class Reunion

 

TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2011

30-Year Class Reunion

Seriously? I am not this old, am I? The years have just flown by, and I still feel young. However, I would never want to return to those High School years and do it again. I was a good girl; if I knew then what I know now, I might have done a few things differently....like study harder, take advice from adults I admired,  and be more kind and compassionate.   I was offered alcoholic drinks at the reunion several times, but when I refused, one guy said, "You still don't drink?" I said proudly, "Never have and never will." I have never been tempted by alcohol or drugs. My birth father was both addicted to alcohol and drugs, and he regretted it. There is a history of drug and alcohol abuse on that side of the family. I did not want that to be the legacy I leave for my children and grandchildren.

I don't feel uncomfortable when we go out to dinner with friends who order a glass of wine, but neither have I been tempted nor offended when they do. I remember in High School, the kids who "partied" would ask me to come and quickly tell me they would provide "sprite or 7-Up" I never went to any of those parties; I always hung with the kids who had the same standards as me and believe it or not, we had just as much fun or more fun than those who "partied"  It was interesting to see the changes in people's lives as I mingled with my classmates, some made no changes at all. Still, the same hairstyle, same personalities, same clothes, but we all had one thing in common- everyone I talked to was grateful for family and experiences that brought them to the place they are now. This night reassured me of who I am, where I've been, and where I want to be in another 30 years.

RECKER IS THE MAN

 

SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2011

Recker is the Man

I cannot get enough of this little guy. Look at him. He makes me laugh, smile, cry and rejoice. We are blessed to say he is a huge part of our family. Recker love, I love you so much.

He is so Happy

 

MONDAY, MAY 30, 2011

He is so Happy

Recker did NOT drink this Coke

He loves MANGO

Recker loves his daddy but doesn't love being buried

Recker and the Whale

It's not very often that we get our entire family together for a vacation (except for Blake); with work and school schedules, it's more complicated than I thought it would be. Today Kayla, Jeremy, Recker, Kaitlyn, Brian, and Haleigh all left to go home. Eric and I will be staying in Mexico for a few more days. I especially loved having Recker here with us. That sweet little angel boy loves the outdoors (Just like his uncle Blake). One night Eric and I let him wander down the beach while we walked close behind, counting as he picked up a rock/shell he found; I counted him picking it up and throwing it back down 256 times. He was in his own little world as he jabbered, ran, walked, and discovered new things along the shoreline. Every once in a while, he would look for me to ensure I was within his eyesight, with an occasional grin and hug to acknowledge me. Off again, he would go in and out of the water up and down the beach, picking up sand and throwing it back into the ocean; I wondered what his little mind was thinking, wishing there was something I could do to understand and help him. I think one of the things that every parent wants for their children is for them to be happy, to truly find happiness in their life. As I watched Recker play, I realized he was so happy.

BonBon Recker and Papa

Autism and Angels

 

TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2011

Autism and Angels

I love this picture of Recker

 Our sweet grandson Recker was diagnosed with Autism yesterday. Kayla has felt for a few months that something was wrong with him. She asked me to take note of certain behaviors he may show throughout the day. When she first asked me, I told her he just acts like a 13-month-old. When I had to fill out all the paperwork from Phoenix Children Hospital, I knew there it was on paper, all of the symptoms that I've seen him do day after day while he's in my care, still I was praying for a different outcome. 

I know it must have of been heartbreaking for Kayla and Jeremy to hear;it brought back memories of being diagnosed with cancer and feeling so numb and helpless, thinking where do we go from here? I have no doubt that Heavenly Father has been preparing Kayla for this. Kayla works at Highland Park Elementary School her job is to work with children with special needs including several with Autism. Recker being diagnosed young means he has a chance of getting therapy early, helping his chances to have a typical life. 

There are no guarantees. praying is all we can do right now. I have FAITH and HOPE in our little Reck's future.I believe he will to have an incredible life full of happiness and joy. The Lord has a special place in Heaven for this little guy. I know there are some things I should work on so that when my time comes I, too will be in Heaven with Recker.
Today as I watch him innocently play and enjoy life as he knows it, I realize how blessed I am to to have the opportunity to be his Bonbon and get to spend so much time with him. Recker literally has been with me since he was born at least 5-6 days a week. During the time I was going through chemo he saved me sometimes from wanting to be done with life in general. He has brought so much joy to my l; our entire family adores him and gets so excited when Kayla and Jeremy come over with . On Saturdays when they spend time as a family I miss him, and sometimes will call them to ask if he can play. Today when he fell asleep on my bed next to me I couldn't help but shed a few tears, more for the unknown than anything else. I could see the bruising on his arms from where they took 6 vials of blood and he ripped the needle out of his arms. It took 3 adults to hold him down but they finally were able to get the blood from the top of his hand, he has no idea what is going on, he never really will and I think that is such a blessing. He is one special little angel; again,ain we are so blessed to have him in our family.  

Average Prices Then and Now

 

SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2011

Average Prices Then and Now

For posterity's' I want to journal the differences between the prices on items from when I was a child. The economy is so bad right now, and so many people are losing their homes and jobs; it makes me sad.  THESE ARE ALL AVERAGES


                        

POSTED BY bonbon AT 8:37 PM