Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Christmas Card 2011

Thank you my sweet friend Ashley for helping me get over the guilt of not sending out Christmas cards this year by explaining that by doing Trey's blog, our friends and family get to see pictures of the kids throughout the year and that people would understand.
I did make a few cards so that I could stick them in the boys' scrapbooks so that when they grow up they will never really know which year I missed, ha-ha!

I sure hope you all do understand and that this will suffice, for this year anyway.

Merry Christmas to all and seriously, the night before Oakland, to all a goodnight-zzzzz!

Jingle Jog

December 21, 2011

Today the boys' school held it's annual Jungle Jog. Every year in the beginning of the term, the Student Council votes on the local charity that they will raise money for at the Jingle Jog. This year with Drake being a member of the Student Council and the school Treasurer, he suggested his little brother be the recipient of the fundraiser and pleaded his case by telling the staff and Student Council all about how soon, his baby brother will be going to Oakland every week for Clinical Trials on his disorder. All voted and Treys Treasures received the honor. This is the flyer that went home to every student. After seeing the flyer, I was ecstatic to see that Trey's blog was added to the flyer and that no matter the amount that is raised for Trey's medical, awareness is sure to occur! Thank you Drake, Thank you Haley Elementary Student Council, staff and students for making Trey beneficiary of this "healthy" event and fun day!
Trey enjoyed stretching before the jog, posing for a class picture and during the jog he was in his stroller as his classmates gave him "knuckles" and high- fives when they jogged by him. Trey also had a lot of fun cheering on his friend at the finish line as they completed the race.


As a side note, both Drake and Broc came in first in their grades in the jog - a jog it was not to them...of course to them and their friends, the race was on!

Not a Stranger

*December 21, 2011

I've explained how Trey and I have meet so many nice people on our travels to and from Oakland week after week, whether it be the airport, on the plane, in the hospital, at the cafeteria...we have met some extraordinary people. Mr. Johnathan is one of those people. I started talking to him after I took notice that not only was he on our flights in the am but also the pm. Soon into our conversation we began to talk about Trey and our reasons for travel as well. It's nice to see familiar faces at the airport week after week and even be given a heads up about late flights...Johnathan is one of those people. Yesterday he asked for our home address as he brought me to tears with his reason for wanting to send a little something to Trey for Christmas. Johnathan said, "Trey reminds me why we live".

What started out as a perfect stranger has ended up being such a wonderful person. Today a box came to the front door addressed to Trey. This was his reaction, word for word when he saw what Mr. Johnathan had sent him, "Yeeeeees, Yahhhhhh, Whoooooo! Just what I wanted for Christmas! Thank youuuu Mr. Johnathan, you are the best!" Yup, Trey loved the gift and so did I as I was witness to the joy on my babies face. Thank you Johnathan for being such a good listener (haha- you remembered Trey likes Da' Bears) and now a good friend!
*Trey "wearing" his new Chicago Bears blanket...he didn't want to set it down.

You Deserve It!

December 19, 2011

My high school friend Tammy Safriet-Carlin (and owner of Pearl Sushi) adopted Trey and a family from their church for this years Annual Christmas Adopt a Family(s) at Pearl Sushi Lounge and Bomber Bar. After she held the fundraiser for Trey in October and learned about MPS, she really wanted to help/adopt another MPS family this Christmas. I told Tammy about Darla and her two children, Justin and Kiana and how much they could use the help this Christmas...esp since they too will begin weekly travels to and from Oakland. Without hesitation, Tammy adopted the two of them and was very pleased to do so. I decided not to tell Darla a word about the fundraiser as it took place throughout the month of December at the restaurant.
Yesterday Tammy and I, four of her kids and my three all surprised Darla with two Chase gift cards loaded with money on them to spend as she wishes. Darla was so stunned and even emotional (as you can imagine). I can't thank Tammy, her husband Jimmy and the employees of Pearl (my big brother Stevie too) for holding this fundraiser and adopting Trey, as well as Justin and Kiana this year.
It felt so amazing to walk away from their home knowing what that "gift" meant to the three of them. I can't imagine how special is must feel for Tammy to have the means to be so generous to so many so often...I got to feel (on a larger scale) what it means when they say it's better to give than to receive.

*We are headed up to Pearl in Saturday so that Tammy and my brother can present Trey with his extra special gift from Pearl...more on this to come!

The kids and their cousins had a gingerbread house making competition and Trey won!!!
Helping Trey with his house was right up my alley but experiencing the kids being creative and then not being able to handle the sugar high was just as much fun! Thank you Auntie Cathy for supplying the houses and all the fixins'!

Little Elf


I just had to post this...Trey's teacher is so creative and out did herself once again with these little elf's...Trey's classmates. She hung them in the hallway outside their class for all to enjoy...enjoy I sure did! Thank you Mrs. Nelson for not only being an AMAZING teacher but also a super creative one too!

Me and My Uncle B


Aunt Cathy and Uncle Brian got to spend a rare one-on-one day and night with their little Treybo last week. Trey was in his glory, spoiled rotten and feeling like a big guy for getting to have a sleep over without his brothers! I can't remember all the cool stuff Uncle B (and Auntie C - she never, ever gets the credit) sent home with Trey the next morning but I just had to get a picture of the two of them dressed alike! Trey was as happy as could be to be a "yes sir guy" like his uncle...every kid needs an aunt and uncle like the two of them!!!

Infusion #9

December 15

Nurse Janie is so thoughtful and generous! Today she told Trey and Evie how an elf came to her house and asked if she knew any good little girls and boys. Of course she said she knew Evie and Trey and so Santa's elf left a present under her Christmas tree for the two of them. Trey was so excited to receive his Cal Bears and I was equally excited to be given a Disney Holiday Craft book...perfect timing for the kids' school holiday parties! Thank you so much nurse Janie for the gifts and for being YOU!!! She makes our weekly visits to Oakland that much more tolerable.

Sometime during today's infusion Trey turns to Evie and asks her what she wants to be when she grows up. Evie's reply is, "a unicorn". Trey comes back with, "Oh, I’m gonna be a Navy Seal." I guess he must have thought about Evie's answer because he continues with, "No, what job do you want to be?" and again, Evie's reply is, "a unicorn!" Erin and I look at one another and just laugh. Erin then says to Trey who has a perplexed look on his face, "We’ll have to start working at that right now!" They most definitely each have a mind of their own!

At the end of Trey's infusion, he and Evie had been playing in her bed when it was time for Trey to be unhooked from his iv. Nurse Janie took Trey from Evie's bed and told Evie she could join Trey again after she de-accessed Trey's port. Evie was very upset (almost to the point of tears). Erin tried to hold Evie as she squirmed and whined, when finally she said, "BUT he ALWAYS wants me to hold his hand". Erin and I melted at her sincerity.
Immediately Erin let Evie down and in an instant Evie took Trey's hand to "help" him through pulling off the tape and the yucky needle part. How sweet was that?

Erin told Mike (Evie's daddy) and sent him this picture. His reply was, "Heck, we may as well just start planning the wedding" -haha! After seeing this picture Erin took of the two of them, Mr. Mike just may be on to something :o)
On our way our of Sky Harbor airport but who do we run into but Santa Calus himself! We hurried to let Trey sit on Santa's lap so he could tell him once again about this big truck he wants...got a cute picture and off we went down stairs to catch Lesz, our driver to take us home sweet home.

Sock Hop


The three boys and I went to their school's sock hop and the boys had a blast! Since Drake and Broc are in Student Council, they were assigned jobs that they were to do for a hour at a time. Both of the boys allowed Trey to help which made him feel like one of the big guys. It's such a joy to see the three of them relate so nicely! Equally important is to see how well their friend's treat Trey.

To add to the fun, we took pictures in the photo booth...say, "Cheese!"

Loved my "date night" at the Sock Hop with my three little men!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Infusion #8-Nice Surprises

December 8, 2011

Today's infusion was another good one, full of nice surprises for Trey. The hospital gave Trey a stuffed animer, a bear...but of course. Trey named his bear, Brian...for Urlacher, but of course. Bryan was by Trey's side for the entire infusion, plane ride home and even had a bed side spot in Trey's bed tonight.
Another nice surprise was when Desi, a teenage boy who visits the day hospital once a month remembered Trey and graced us with homemade cookies he and his father made...some of the very best I have ever tasted-yummy! Desi had a cold today and was afraid to get too close to Trey so we took a picture (as best as I could) of the two boys and his sweet mom. Trey's smile back to Desi when he received the cookies was pretty darn cute!
And last but not least, as the kids were getting their infusion, we hear Christmas caroling coming from down stairs in the hospital lobby. We rolled the kids to the waiting room outside the day hospital and let them enjoy song after song from what we guessed was the local high school student choir. What a sweet surprise and a nice break for the kids. It was so cute to hear Trey and Evie express to one another their favorite Christmas song as they recognized them, one after another.

Boy Day

12/01/11

Since I’ve been a flight attendant (18 1/2 years) with Southwest, I can honestly say that I have flown as a paying passenger (as opposed to non-rev'ing) only a hand full of times. That has all changed since our weekly flights to Oakland. I always knew I worked for a great company with great people but to be on the other side and experience it as a customer, I am now “full circle” convinced that I do work for the best company in the customer service industry.
Last week when our incoming plane was hit by lightening, it was taken out of service. I explained to Trey that the San Diego Charger hit our plane and that we had to wait for another plane that wasn’t broken before we could fly to Oakland on our Cardinal Bird. The gate agent working our flight had taken notice of Treys interest in the old, broken plane and from where and when we would get the new, working plane. She proceeded to sit him on her lap to give him a front row view of all the changes, not knowing that I was an employee, why we were headed to Oakland and more than that, how much it meant to Trey to be treated like a VIP at mommy's work. Thank you "Miss agent" for going that extra mile and showing Trey so much of the Southwest Love we are famous for! And by the way, those employees in Phoenix that do know me, treat Trey and I like gold week after week.


Although Trey is hooked up to a monitor and and iv pole during his infusion, he is free to use the restroom, go to the craft room, or even just walk around to stretch his legs. Today when Trey asked to go to the craft room to visit with Mr. Randy instead of walking along side his iv pole, he stood on top of it. I thought that was a great idea and told him to "hold on". Trey had all the ladies in the day hospital smiling as he went gliding by the nurses station. Evie joined in on the game which made it twice a fun for Trey as well. Erin took a video and posted in on her Facebook page and although funny, it didn't do the actual moment justice...we were all laughing so hard at the two of them.I am so thankful for The O'Donnell family for choosing to have Evie's infusions with Trey on Thursday's, the two of them get along like an old married couple!


So today's infusion had a bit of "boy stuff/football" mixed in...which always makes Trey happy. Like I wrote in a previous post, the guys from x-ray are into football and so is Trey. We found out that Mr. Randy had a birthday coming up and we know how much he likes the Raiders. So, I used my cheerleader connection (ThAnK YoU Jennifer Lynne!) and had the Raiderette's sign a calendar to give to Mr. Randy today. Last night I asked Trey if he might want to wear Silver and Black (Raider colors) for Mr. Randy's birthday to show him you are a "good sport" and he said, "NO!" before I could even complete the sentence but then he thought about it and said only if I would...easy enough, almost everything in my closet is a neutral color.

This is the best part...before Mr. Randy could get a break to visit with Trey, Mr. Jake came by with the Chicago Bears lanyard he had made for him! Trey felt so official with the name badge and all! Thank you Mr. Jake for your thoughtfulness and timing! And perfect timing it was, Trey could now "sport" his new Chicago Bears orange and blue to take away a bit from the silver and black shirt he wore. Trey may be a good sport but he's also got his pride, ha-ha! When Mr. Randy showed up, the first thing Trey did was to razz him and show off his new Bears lanyard.

The calendar was a hit and the look on Trey's face when Randy saw the girls on the calendar was priceless. Maybe even more priceless was the comment Trey made afterwards. With a puzzled look on his face, Trey said, "Hey mom, why did we give Mr. Randy pictures of girls? We should have given him the football players instead." I just smiled and thought, one day you'll know why but today I am happy you think that way, my sweet boy!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving


What a wonderful time we had up North for our very first Thanksgiving at the cabin. Twelve of us sat down to a scrumptious turkey dinner and 20 of us enjoyed each others company, delicious food and the cool weather the following day when more family traveled North for the long holiday weekend. We are thankful for our family!

Thankful for...

Nov. 21, 2011

I am always so touched by Drake and Broc and their heightened level of compassion for their little brother, Trey. Time after time the boys show love for Trey that they may think goes unnoticed, but this year it was part of a 4th grade project that Broc made for Thanksgiving. I will never know how much our "less than normal life" effect's them and hopefully I never will because as long as they keep maturing into the wonderful little gentlemen that they
have, they are sure to come out of this journey with a life experience that can't be taught.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Cowboy Up!

November, 2011

What a blessing my long time friend, Shawna and her family have been to us! Shawna has been a part of every single one of Trey's fundraisers, always there to lend a hand and her heart...100%! She has also taken time out of her busy life (two teenage boys and a hubby) to send thoughtful cards and gifts to never let me forget that we are thought about and loved. Miss Shawna has text Trey and I since we began traveling to Oakland week after week sending us thoughts of safe travels and bright days! As if that isn't enough, she has spent an evening with Trey playing Candyland (over and over) and to top it off she recently took him for a night out at the rodeo!
Trey wanted to 'dress the part' and fell in love with every aspect of the Perow Family's life-the rodeo, the guns and hunting, the farm...you name it, he loved it!
And...as if going to McDonald's once on a 'date night' isn't enough, they took Trey twice! Once for dinner and once after a long day for but what else, dessert! I asked Shawna to write this blog entry to tell all about their night but from the pictures she sent...I got a great idea of the excitement,laughter and love. Trey came home with a new bb gun, cowboy hat and boots...cowboy up little man! Thank you Shawna,Kip and Brett for showing Trey the ropes and making him "official".

More LUV!

November, 2011

I work for the very best company that ever was!!! Not only does Forbes magazine agree with me but I witness it first hand on a constant basis! About three times a year we will receive a package in the mail for Trey. The package is always "sports" related; basketball, football,soccer, baseball...sports wise, you name it, Southwest Airlines has though of it! Each package is also always accompanied by a card sending thoughts of LUV! This last package contained a nice card (of course) but also a regulation size soccer ball with the Southwest logo on it. As you can imagine, Trey LUV'd it! Did I tell you I worked for THE best company ever?

Week 4 & 5/Infusion 5 & 6

November 10th, 2011

Another uneventful week...just how we like it! Although for some reason,Trey was wide awake this morning on our way to the airport as well as at the airport. And for some odd reason he was craving beef jerky at 5:30-AM! (instead of his usual Cinnabon). I have to say I much prefer the smell of the Cinnabon! Two minutes into the flight, Trey was out like a light bulb...ahhh, much more like it, lucky mommy! My luck continued when Trey's nurse, Mrs. Janie helped Trey with his homework. Trey got a kick out of completing his math homework using sugar packet's.
For some reason he "learns" much better with anyone but me! The luck continued when the nursing student assigned to us for the day read to the kids, played Connect-Four and even took them to the craft room to allow us parents a bit of "quite time"...you'd think I'd have published a blog entry during that time, but no...I relished in the silence.
November 17, 2011
The next week was more of the same...lots of fun with Evie and nothing to report-no news is good news!