Time has surely gotten away from me! I wanted to keep this blog updated as best I could, but there really hasn't been much to update. Todd is feeling so good right now, so good that he has virtually forgotten all he's been through in the last few months! Wrestling season is fastly approaching which means he will be extremely busy with work and officiating. I know he's feeling well when he's ready to get out there on that mat.

My mom, my mother-in-law , and I recently shared a girls night out friday night. We went to Cleveland to see An Evening with Scott Hamilton and Friends. For those of you who don't remember Scott Hamilton he is an Olympic figure skating champion who was diagnosed with testicular cancer back in 1997. He underwent a regime of successful chemotherapy treatments, surgery and recuperation. Instead of picking up where he left off in the world of figure skating, he felt he needed to do something more for others suffering from cancer. Scott founded the Scott Hamilton CARES Initiative ( Cancer Alliance for Research, Education and Survivorship) and is also a spokesperson for the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute. The CARES Initiative was started by Scott in order to raise cancer awareness while at the same time raising the money to fund such research to help for a cure for all types of cancer. Scott's mission is "to erradicate cancer in my lifetime." So back to friday evening, the ice show we went to see is only put on once a year to raise funds for the CARES Initiative and to give back to the people of Cleveland. The most amazing part of the evening was not the skaters, it was a young 16 year-old boy. This boy is in his second year of fundraising for cancer reasearch. During the brief intermission, he presented the Taussig Cancer Institute with a check for $108,000! His goal next year is to raise $250,000! I could not believe it, a young boy who should be worried about football games or girlfriends or what to do to on a friday night was spending his time raising money for cancer! How amazing!

My new job is going well. In fact, I love it! Last week I spent a couple of days in Cleveland for the 11th annual Innovations in Neurscience Nursing Conference. It was 3 days packed full of information. I think my favorite lecture was the one on mitochondrial disorders. In that particular lecture we learned about a study that was done in Portugal that could link a form of autism to a mitochondrial disorder which in turn could lead to a treatment! The study only showed a small percentage and it's virtually impossible to replicate that study here in the states, but it has paved a path.

Brynn is keeping busy with school- she loves it! She is slowly becoming a little adult! Just ask her dad, the other day he was trying to talk to her and she gave him the old "whatever" with the hand wave. That was priceless! I keep hearing that she acts more and more "like her mother!" I beg to differ. I would love to say it's the female gene, but she is one heck of a tomboy, too. On a recent trip to the circus, her favorite part was the dirtbikes. She couldn't wait to see the dirtbikes! When they finally came out she could hardly sit in her seat! None the less she does have her girlie moments, like screaming at the top of her lungs when anything Jonas Brothers comes across the radio or tv! And lets not even get started on High School Musical, Hannah Montana and iCarly.

As for Kael-he's content with putting his puzzles together and riding in the combine with "pa." He has his little perch, which happens to be my dads armrest, that he has to sit on when he's riding with "pa." He doesn't want the buddy seat it's attached to, he wants the armrest right next to "pa." I think my dad was ready to have a little boy around to share his passion for tractors with. After 4 girls (3 living)-and one more possibly on the way (I'm going to be auntie again!)- who could blame him! Kael is my little cuddlebug. He catches me offguard sometimes when he comes up, gives me a hug and says "Mommy your my best friend." By the way- those were his exact words after receiving his Flumist at the docotor's office one day. I think without a doubt he is going to be quite the ladies man! As Todd would say- "Just like his daddy."