So not long after my last post Cutler spiked a fever up to around 101.  Naturally I overreacted and called the doctor, the pediatrician, and 5 minutes later was picking up Mason from school and heading our way in.  On the way I told Mason there was a chance that we wouldn’t make his soccer game depending on how long and what the doctor said.  Mason, being the incredibly supportive brother he is, didn’t even think twice about it and simply said that is was ok.  So just to keep everyone updated, Cutler was tested for the flu and rsv and both turned out negative.  The doctor thinks it is just some gunk going around this time of year and that he should be fine in a few days.  A couple of the nurses even stopped in and told us it was nothing to worry about and that indeed there is a gunk going around, but to feel free to call them as often as we like and to come in as often as we need.  It warms my heart the support we get from them every time we visit.  Just like today, the nurse was waiting for us as we walked in and we were whisked away.  Cutler is sleeping away and despite a few coughs, seems to be sleeping well.

By the way, Mason did make it to his game and showed more hustle and the most aggressiveness we have ever seen from him in soccer.  He even rang a shot off the inside post.  Coach Brian was nice enough to call it his first goal.  Below is a picture of the two boys while hanging at the doctor’s office.

Cutler has come down with what we hope is just a cold and cough and so I decided to work from home today in  hopes that removing him from the petri dish of a 2 and under classroom might help him get over it.  As you might expect, we are a bit concerned as the symptoms he is experiencing are exactly what lead us down the Leukemia road.  That being said, we have faith that it is just a cold and fortunately for Cutler, it means a day away from school.  Below are a few pictures of the rough life that Cutler leads when he is under the weather and misses school.  It’s hard to tell, but his day basically consists of sitting in Mason’s little recliner in my office and shouts the occasional order while watching 500 episodes of Chuggington (the theme song is permanently etched into my mind).  A special shout out to Kobi, for if she were here there would not be a tv in my office for Cutler to watch.  🙂

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Don’t report us to the labor department, but we have found ways to make the boys earn their keep around here.  For Christmas Cutler got a toy vacuum cleaner and based on his fascination with it I decided to give him a shot at the regular vacuum tonight.  Actually I was using it and I looked over and he was standing there watching me with a huge smile so I offered it up.  It was how shocking how natural it was for him considering just a few years ago Mason asked what the vacuum was when he apparently saw it for the first time after three years of existence.  And of course, here is some video…

As for Mason, I have now found a way to one up all of my friends.  Several of them have taught their kids to fetch us beer when we are sitting around discussing how to solve world peace.  This weekend, I did them all one better, I taught Mason how to mix up a great daiquiri thanks to the Magic Bullet.  I’m sure you have all seen the infomercial for them where some couple sit around a friend’s house and watch them as they prepare fruit smoothies, omelets, and alfredo sauce?  Well I was fortunate enough to get one for my birthday and we finally put it to good use.  But we did discover that it isn’t as easy as 1-2-3, but it still worked very good and made Mason proud to pour just the right amount of rum into our my drink.

Were his dancing shoes.  This was taken at Best Buy while we were taking a break from shopping on Christmas Eve. 

Uncle Joe was his only competition while we were back in St. Louis visiting.  (Sorry Joe)

With Kobi moving on her way it was finally time to reintroduce Cutler back to school.  Today was his first day back at school and is now attending the same montessori school as Mason.  Mason was so very proud to walk his brother in and Cutler was pretty proud to have him walk him in a well.  Watching us leave him there was an entirely different story.  Because Melanie is his current favorite I was fully expecting for him to cry out for her, but instead he made it extra difficult by calling out for me.  We called and checked on him a few times throughout the day and the end of the day report card was that he was a bit fussy, but for his first day he did pretty well.  Not sure how well he napped, but according to his written report he ate pretty well.  This was one of our main concerns along with his napping.  Hopefully will learn more about the napping tomorrow morning when I drop him off.  Apparently Mason was a big help throughout the day by walking him back to class and checking in on him when they were all outside playing.  Cutler was very happy to hold his hand when the day was over on the way to the car and the overwhelmingly warm welcome I received when I got there was well worth it.  I am sure he will do better as time progresses, but this morning was pretty dang tough.

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Tonight we headed downtown for the Jingle Bell Run for Kobi’s last night with us as the nanny as Nana is in town and quickly taking over nanny duties.  Not sure if you all remember or not, but Kobi was fortunate enough to serve as Cutler’s nanny ever since he was released from the hospital.  I think I introduced her to the blog followers and promised that she would do a series of posts from the nanny point of view, but maybe I am just dreaming all of this up as I can’t seem to find anything on here from her in quite some time.  🙂

So back to the point of my story.  After the “race”, it was only for a mile, we decided to swing by Sal’s for some pepperoni pizza.  Being the pepperoni fan that we all are I decided to ask for double the pepperoni and for good artery clogging measures let’s go ahead and double the cheese.  What I have now discovered is that if you like double the ingredients, Sal’s is not the place for you.  Now, if you like quadruple the toppings, Sal’s is definitely the place to go.  I have never seen such a careless disregard for the bottom line.  Sadly, Kobi chose to eat only a salad as she tries to fit into a dress for some wedding in boring old Mexico in a few weeks.  Fortunately for me and the boys, we do not have a dress to fit into nor do we care too much about our bathing suits right now so we fully enjoyed the pie.  Almost as much as I predict I will enjoy having my tv back in my office in a few days when Kobi hits the road for a much needed vacation back home.  Below are a couple of pictures from the “last supper”. 

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Oh and don’t worry, Kobi will still be living with us while she…searches for a job?  So my joy of the return of the tv will be short-lived and I doubt her idle time will encourage any posts.

And one final video treat of Mason dancing with the “animals” prior to the jingle bell run.  By the way, he ran almost the entire way.  Fortunately Kobi chased him the first half and then I only had the second half to go.

Naturally I want the boys to grow up a Blues fan, but ever since Mason saw his first game he has been a die hard Stars fan.  I guess that is one of the perils of raising your kids in a town other than your own hometown.  Either way, I will be happy when he skips college to play in the NHL.  Mason got his first set of equipment last night and of course Cutler wanted to wear the helmet as well.  Here are a few pictures of the future enforcers.

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We finally decided it was time to accept that Cutler’s thick hair would not go away if we had it cut and that he wouldn’t lose any of his magical powers so tonight we took him in and got it cut…but just a bit.  It was getting pretty long in the back, so long that it lost its curl.  Below are a couple of photos from the process.  He did pretty good all things considered.  The only photo I forgot to include (take) is of the finished product.  But trust me when I tell you that he looks just as cute as ever.

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Every year Mason’s school puts on a World Day where each classroom represents a country.  Last year it was China…you may remember the photos of Mason with a “fu manchu” drawn on his face.  This year it was Japan where we were able to recycle the dragon tshirt.  🙂  Each year they also learn a song that apparently originates from that country.  Below is a video from this past Saturday’s celebration.

It is hard to believe that one year ago tomorrow, Dec. 3, Cutler had his bone marrow transplant.  As I think back to the months leading up to the transplant, I recall being so frightened and unsure of the future.  But thanks to the doctors, nurses, Prayer Warriors, and especially God, we are here celebrating Cutler’s good health. 

We had our monthly oncology appointment yesterday, and I’m pleased to report that all of the blood work shows Cutler to be a perfectly healthy little boy 🙂  Praise God!  We will now go back every 2 months for checkups, and continue to see our pediatrician for any routine illnesses.

Speaking of routine illnesses, Cutler will begin attending Heritage Montessori Academy in January.  Because his daycare, North Star Learning Center, doesn’t have any openings, we are going to take advantage of the 5% discount and have him attend the same school as Mason!  Our dear Kobi has decided it is time to look for a “real” job and will pursue such after a whirlwind trip to Wyoming, Denver and Mexico in January.  We are very sad to lose our live-in nanny, but are thrilled that she has decided to continue living with us until such time as we either kick her out, or she decides she needs her own space 🙂

Mason starts back with indoor soccer on Saturday, so we should have some cute pictures in the next few weeks.  We will see what classes Cutler can get signed up for once he’s in school full-time.  We have a feeling he’s going to have a little trouble adjusting to not being the only child in the classroom…

Our family has so much to be thankful for – healthy boys, great family and friends, jobs, health insurance, and a Loving and Merciful God who never gives us more than He knows we can handle. 

I saw this quote not too long ago and it speaks to me now that I am able to reflect back to September 11, 2009, when our little 6 month old baby was first diagnosed with AML – “you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.”

Thank you for all of your prayers over the last year, and thank you in advance for your continued prayers that Cutler never relapses.