Xmas Tree Hunt

Instead of braving the shopping crowds on Black Friday, we loaded up the Subaru and made our way down to Boulder Creek to Johnson Farm. This was Keira second year choosing her tree and she was super excited. Last year our tree's name was Rawhide, and K was anxious to see what Farmer Rob would name our new tree.

The day was beautiful - sunshine and blue skies!


We were able to feed the animals,


go on a hayride,


and partake in "pumpkin bowling".


We took the tractor up to the top of the hill, got off with our pumpkins and tried to roll them down the hill into the big tractor tire. If you were one of the lucky ones you got a free cookie.


We all tried once with no success and then Keira scored an extra turn by asking a stranger who had a couple of extra pumpkins if she could "please have another pumpkin" :)


Now it was time to get serious about finding a tree that would fit into our tiny condo. There are not that many small trees so we really had to go on a hunt around the farm.




We noticed a beautiful tree full of yellow leaves and naturally gravitated over to take a look only to find our perfect tree! His name was Rush and he was 3 1/2 feet tall, just the right size!

Of course we had to play in the leaves


before cutting him down.


What a perfect family day at the farm!


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Turkey Day

This was the first Thanksgiving that we celebrated with just our little family. Being pregnant, I wasn't able fly, and this is not the best time to take K on an airplane as many people are coughing and sneezing. We ended up having a great day. Keira, Nip and I woke up and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade

   

 Then Naveen cooked up a feast (with a little help from K)
 

 At dinner, Keira said she was thankful for Tom Turkey.
 And, she surprised us both when she asked for another slice of turkey!

 

 The pumpkin pie from Chili Pie, was a big hit.

 Happy Thanksgiving from the V's  

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Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope that everyone has a terrific Turkey Day!



We have so much to be thankful for this year, especially the continued good health of our little turkey!
Enjoy your day with family, friends and good food.

Much love,
Crystal, Naveen, Keira +1

Next Steroid Reduction

Starting tonight we will again be reducing Keira's steroid dosage. To begin, we will only lower her evening dose from 1.67ml to 1.33ml every other day. We will watch her for the next few weeks to see how her body handles the reduction and if all goes well we will move the morning dose also to 1.33ml.

It seems like such a minor change but when your body has been on steroids for a year+ even a little reduction can cause issues. Please keep her in your prayers.

Happy thoughts!

Friday Night Fun!

Who knew that a box and some styrofoam would create so much fun for a little girl!

You can see the sequence of events below:

Peek-a-boo!


Her "couch" was too small for Brown Bear, but Hopkins fit nicely.


it's snowing in November (and in our house!)


the cat doesn't look impressed


Be sure to check out the video for live coverage of the mess :)


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Daddy's Home!

Keira was super excited to be able to go pick up her dad at the airport after his week long trip in Zurich.

Of course she had to check out the big planes!


She LOVED the moving walkway


We took dad out to Goat Hill Pizza to celebrate his return


K and I made special cookies for dessert!

Keira's Countdown!

Naveen left for a business trip to Zurich this evening. K and I decided it would be a good idea to come up with a way for her to keep track of when her daddy would be back. Every night before bed she gets to tear off one of the yellow links and after 7 days he will be home again!

Clinic Visit

We had our monthly visit to LPCH today to see Dr. Effinger and were told that Keira's MRI's looked "perfect" and that we don't have to do another MRI for 6 months! How great that our little girl won't have to go under any anestesia for 6 months!

Also, during our visit, Keira entertained us all playing doctor with the doctor. :) She looked for "potatoes" in Dr. Effinger's ears, listened to her heart and even checked her eyes. Keira certainly knows the routine and was happy to be able to have a little role reversal.

The remainder of our visit was spent talking about the pros and cons of starting Keira at a preschool this winter. We are obviously scared to increase her risk of exposure to germs but we are trying to find the right social, emotional, and academic balance for Keira as well. She loves being with other children her age and does so much better when she is in a routine.

As many of you already know, Keira's daycare had to close unexpectedly. We have been so blessed to have Emy take care of Keira for the past 2+ years. She has taught all 3 of us so much and has been a source of knowledge and strength, especially as we struggled to figure out how to help Keira during her initial OMS diagnosis and return to daycare.

Please keep Emy in your thoughts and prayers as she faces cancer for the second time. She has touched so many lives - we are heartbroken to think that she has to go through this battle again, but have faith that she will continue to fight. As Keira told Emy when we were at the hospital for a visit, "you've got to be brave so you get all better."