Payton's last day of chemo.

Wednesday was Payton's last day of Chemo so
we took in a cake for the nurses and doctor's that have taken
such great care of Payton. Payton's ChemoPal, Mike, gave
him a gift card to the Lego store for Christmas so, he saved one to put together with Mike on his last treatment. They, well I guess I can only speak for Payton,
had a really fun time.
Payton was able to do all the "work" this time.
He put in the heparin, did his blood draw, and whatever else they put in his
port before he get his treatment.
He ended on a good, fun note. We will be going
back on the 10th for his MRI and
his last regular appointment.
After that it will be every 3 months for MRI's unless there is a change.
We can't thank Doernbecher Hospital and the
Hemotology/Oncology
team enough for
their kindness and care they
gave Payton this past year.
We will miss them but we hope
we will never see them again too.
A HUGE thank you to Mike and his sacrifice of time
and taking off of work
to come every other week to play
on the hospital floor with a boy he didn't even know.
What a difference he made in Payton's
chemo treatments. As Payton said,
"he made chemo fun".
That is the best thing a mom could ask for.
So, endless thank you's Mike.

It is hard to believe that is will be a year
on Saturday that he was diagnosed.
Thankfully, it has gone by
really fast.

We have been extremely blessed by so many
people and can't begin to thank you all, but please
know that you have made us better people.

THANK YOU!

May this next year be a year of health and healing for EVERYONE!

Honking his kazoo and shooting missiles at Mike's ship while getting his chemo.

Putting together his Toy Story green army men Lego.

Payton with his wonderful Nurse Practitioner, Kathy. She is AMAZING! He's looking a little scruffy...in need of a haircut but his hair has thinned and is really hard to cut and he doesn't want it buzzed (the way I like it).

The Christmas looking cake I ordered. I didn't really think about the color combo when I ordered it.

New Year's Card & Letter

If you haven't received a letter yet, it is because I haven't sent them yet...soon, soon! I thought I'd at least post it because I don't know when I will get to actually mailing them, I will, I just don't know when. So, here is a view if I don't have your address and a preview if I do. Happy New Year EVERYONE!
(below is the letter, above is the card)

2009 was a faith building year. It started off normal, besides being completely exhausted by our 5 month old twins, then things started to unravel. On February 6, 2009 Payton, (our 6 year old, 5 at the time) went in for an MRI for unexplained blindness and shaking in his left. We were notified immediately after the MRI that Payton had a tumor on his optic nerves. A craniotomy (an incision from his ear to the top of his head and a piece of skull removed so they can access under the brain, then reattached with screws) was set up for that following Monday. The surgery went well and the biopsy confirmed his diagnosis, Pilocytic Astrocytoma/chiasmatic glioma/hypothalamic lesion. It would not be able to be removed because it is entangled around too many vital parts of the brain. He was given a couple weeks to recover before going back to surgery to have a port put into his chest for his chemotherapy treatments he would be receiving over the next year. The goal was to stabilize it and to keep him from going totally blind.

The first couple treatments were scary for him, but we arranged for him to be part of a ChemoPal program with the Children’s Cancer Association. A volunteer would come in to play with Payton while he is having chemotherapy. Payton’s pal is Mike and he is a wonderful man that has helped our family more then he’ll ever know. His willingness to show up for 2 hours every other week to play LEGO’s or games on the dirty hospital floor with Payton has lifted a burden that was becoming overwhelming. ENDLESS THANK YOU’S to his great pal/chemo hero Mike!

He is doing amazingly well. He was able to keep his hair and keep a fairly normal lifestyle with very few complications. He has recently been put on a medication to help relieve some of the body pain and it seems to be working really well. He is starting to play, wrestle, run, and act 6 again. He is an amazing little boy that has done incredibly well. He will be completing his chemo treatments February 2010 and will continue to have MRI’s every 3 months to keep close watch on his tumor and will do so throughout his life.

As for the rest of us, we are all doing really well. We have been able to do some pretty wonderful things this year due to the kindness of strangers, family, and friends. We just got back from Disney World for Payton’s Make-A-Wish trip. It was phenomenal. Unfortunately, Cohen and Tessa missed out but we couldn’t imagine taking them either. We were also able to go to a wonderful place on the coast called the Caring Cabin through the Children’s Cancer Association this summer. We decided to make it a Henrie family reunion and had family from 4 states and a total of 28 people stayed in this beautiful, huge home.

Tate (3) started preschool this year and had his 1^st Christmas program in which he and his friend had a friendly slap-match throughout. I had him apologized to his teacher the next day. Luckily, she thought it was funny. He is our snuggler. He loves to snuggle with everyone but me. He is also our most accident prone one too. He already has 1 blackish tooth and possibly another as of Friday. He is a busy, busy guy that doesn’t think before he tries. I don’t think that will change anytime soon, so I am predicting he will be our first broken bone kid…HOPE NOT, but think it is inevitable.

Cohen (16 months) is a sweet boy. He pretty much goes about his own business and does his own thing. He loves books, pushing buttons he isn’t supposed to, and takes every opportunity he gets to bolt out the front door.

Tessa (16 months), aka Messy Tessy. Is just that, a mess…always. She is definitely girly but can hold her own. She loves to play with hair, jewelry, cell phones, and be held by anyone. She is also half monkey and can climb onto ANYTHING.

We are so blessed to be in the company of such wonderful friends and family. This year would have been near impossible without them and their willingness to help anytime or anywhere. Thank you all for everything, small or large, that you have done for our family. We hope and pray that you all have an amazing 2010.

Love,

Jared, Chelsea, Payton, Tate, Cohen, and Tessa Northam

Matthew 19:26 “…with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible”

Tate's Christmas Program

I have nothing to say but, PLEASE WATCH! Tate is hoodlum on the left.

http://www.box.net/shared/r88kv9fyav

Payton's TV Premier

Here is the link to Payton's big TV premier.

http://www.youtube.com/user/MakeAWishOregon

A Wish Granted!

Where do I begin? How do I begin to describe the most amazing trip of our lives? I guess I'll start from the beginning. Payton was given the opportunity to be involved with the Make-A-Wish foundation. It is a non-profit organization that grants wishes to children with life threatening illnesses. Payton decided that his wish would be to go to Disney World. MAW decided to grant Payton's wish by making him the guest of honor at their "Season of Wishes" celebration. He got to be on the news, light the Christmas tree with a magic wand, and be in the local news paper. All before leaving. They also showered him with all kinds of Disney gifts.

We stayed at an amazing place called Give Kids the World Village where most MAW kids stay when they are on their wish trips to Disney World. It had EVERYTHING a kid could ever want to do. We decided to leave Cohen and Tessa at home with my Mom so the big boys can have as much fun as they wanted without being tied down by naps. They won't remember it anyway, right? It was by far the best decision...sorry Cohen and Tess, someday we'll take you!!!

After 3 days at Disney parks, 1 day at Universal parks (where we lost our car keys but through some strong prayers they were found), 1 day at Sea World, feeding all kinds of animals at Sea World, amazing activities at the village, nightly trips to the ice cream shop at the village, some vomiting, trip to the Lego store; Jared and I were exhausted. I would have to say the highlights were seeing Payton on stage fighting Darth Vader in costume (was well worth the hour and a half wait) and the other would have to be the way the Characters interacted with Payton and Tate. They were so genuine and sweet, they didn't rush with them and gave them long, thoughtful hugs before they left. It was very sweet. Each park treated Make-A-Wish kids like royalty.

There were so many photo that I HAD to make a slide show. I hope you enjoy! It truly was magical.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

FAMILY

F A M I L Y

I ran into a stranger as he passed by,
"Oh excuse me please" was my reply.

He said, "Please excuse me too;
I wasn't watching for you."

We were very polite, this stranger and I.
We went on our way and we said goodbye.

But at home a different story is told,
How we treat our loved ones, young and old.

Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
My son stood beside me very still.

When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.
"Move out of the way," I said with a frown.

He walked away, his little heart broken.
I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.

While I lay awake in bed,
God's still small voice came to me and said,

"While dealing with a stranger,
common courtesy you use,
but the family you love, you seem to abuse.

Go and look on the kitchen floor,
You'll find some flowers there by the door.

Those are the flowers he brought for you.
He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.
He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,
you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."

By this time, I felt very small,
And now my tears began to fall.


I quietly went and knelt by his bed;
"Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.

"Are these the flowers you picked for me?"
He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.

I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.
I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."


I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;
I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."

He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay.
I love you anyway."


I said, "Son, I love you too,
and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."


FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU

Halloween '09

The majority of us were themed to 101 Dalmatian's. My cape, wig, and Coh's costume were made by my sister-in-law. They were fabulous. Payton rebelled and was Snake-Eye's from G.I.Joe (minus the eye shield that he couldn't see out of). I was Cruella Devil, Tate and Cohen were puppies, Tessa was a Mini Cruella (you can't see her polka dot dress and fur jacket), and Jared was my henchmen. If you look carefully you can see a puppy tail hanging out of Jared's backpack.

This was for a grown-up Halloween party so we had to be more scary. Jared is now my........ PUPPY KILLER. AHHHHHHHHHHH! (notice the puppy tails?)

Pumpkin carving with a little Paint. I didn't take a picture with all our pumpkins but I think they were the best yet.

Coh and Tess getting ready for the big event. Have to look Perfect!

Pumpkin Patch '09

Two Saturday's ago we went to the same pumpkin patch that we have gone to for years. We usually go with our wonderful with cousins/Aunt/Uncle. It was the only weekend that worked so we HAD to fit it in. I had my 10 K run that morning in the same area so we though we'd just go from there but Mother Nature had different plans. As soon as my race ended it started pouring rain, lightning, and thunder. Quite the difference from just a few minutes earlier...sunny and warm (thankfully, my race would have been miserable). We then made the decision to go to a pizza and play place until there was a break in the rain. We saw a break in the clouds and went for it. Once again, we lucked out and the rain stopped long enough for us to go on the boat ride with sharks and dragons popping out of the water, pick our pumpkins...

get some faces painted...

then ride the mini train back. It is a great place to go. Beautiful area and fun things to do. Thanks to Ashley all this was possible for our family. Thanks Ashley and Ryan for such a fun day!!!

Payton's day as a Redhawk

Our neighbor is a pilot for the Redhawks and thought Payton could use a special reward for being so brave during his treatments. So, we had the opportunity to go to the Air-force Base to be a special guests at the 123nd squadron, the RedHawks. We toured the facility and saw jets being worked on, where the pilots dress, and what gear they have to wear. Payton and Tate sat in a training cockpit and got to be a pilots for a few minutes. We were also able to see a few different take offs. They were loud but amazing. The F15's were off to do some "dog fight" training. There was another take off we saw (can't remember the name) that the pilot went straight up in the air, you can even see his after burners (movie below). Payton was glowing; smile from ear to ear. It is all he talked about on the way to chemo and told the nurses all about it. He had the time of his life thanks to wonderful friends.

Tater's ready!

Captain Rico (Aaron) going over all the gauges, switches, dials, knobs, and of coarse...how to fire all the guns!

For the take off's we had earplugs but every time we went outside Tate had to be sure his ears were covered.

Payton and one of his hero's, Captain Rico (Aaron).

Utah Trip '09

We had a wonderful time in Southern Utah visiting my parents. My Mom flew up to help me drive down. It was 7 hours to Meridian, ID where we stayed the night at my sister's house. Then we continued on for 12 more hours to Escalante, Utah (by Bryce Canyon). The kids we all amazing and VERY well behaved.

When we arrived everyone got colds and the babies didn't sleep at all. We planned on staying a week and a half but I was only able to take a week of no sleep. We headed home early. We could have spent months going to all the amazing places my Dad has discovered. Another time.

I had to make a slide show because there were too many pictures to choose from. I am so glad we were given this opportunity by my parents. I love them and thank them for putting up with us.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Back in School

Tate's first day of Preschool at Little Lambs.

Payton's 1st day of Kindergarten at Mt. Pleasant.

Party Time!

"Messy Tessy" living up to her name.

Cohen HATING the mess.

Comparing the two.

August is the Birthday month. We have 4 kids but only two birth dates. The 8th and 26th. We decided to have a little bowling party for Payton and a BIG party for all of them later in the month. I did not know the best way to handle this. I did NOT want people to be buying 4 gifts, I did NOT want to have people feel obligated to do anything and especially for ALL of them. A huge dilemma for me. So, I just tried to make it simple and just had to let it go and not worry about it. I will do things differently next year, but not sure how or what.

We had an amazing turn out. Everyone was able to come: 31 kids and 21 adults. I tried to make it simple; a few balloons, a pinata, some good food, and just let the kids go wild in the back yard. I was hoping for a hot day so the pool would take up most of the time, but it was cloudy. Luckily, the kids didn't seem to mind and they did go wild. The pinata wasn't thought out as well as I would have liked. There were tears. I am still learning.

Tessa lived up to her nickname "Messy Tessy". She destroyed her cake and was covered in frosting. Cohen touched it and started to cry. We let her finish his off too. She didn't actually eat too much of it; just had to enjoy the mess. When Tate turned one. He ate the ENTIRE thing. It was huge for a 1 year-old and it didn't even faze him.

I have to say a special thank you to Kelly and Aundrea for the awesome meat. I am a selfish friend. I invite them to a party and make them work. Kelly did all the marinading and BBQing and Aundrea helped with the babies (Logan and Maika too). If you could taste taste some of it you would understand. THANK YOU, THANK YOU! It really was the best!

I cannot believe how fast this year has gone by. I it really hard to believe Cohen and Tessa are 1 already. The first 6 months seemed like 6 years but the last 6 have gone so fast. Tate is 3 now. Honestly, I have thought he was three for the past 2 years. He has always seemed older to me. He is such a funny little guy. Payton...6? Crazy. I am the luckiest Mom alive to be able to have these 4 amazing kids!!! Happy Birthday Payton, Tate, Cohen and Tessa!

I love you.

Babie's 1st OREO's

You can see why we call her "Messy Tessy". She is always 10x's more messy then Cohen. Cohen would prefer to be spoon fed so he doesn't have to touch his food. We can't believe they are turning 1 this month...how time fly's.

My first 5-K run

My friend, Tifny, and I have decided to change our lives, do something for ourselves, so we decided to start running. I need to loose a lot of baby weight and get myself healthy. I wanted to start slow so I wouldn't get discouraged. With the advice of a few friends with experience they suggested we set a goal for a race. So, we did. A 5-k. We found a schedule to follow and we DID it. I was 51st out of 103 and my time was 30:01 (9:68 min/mi). I am so proud of us and it felt so nice to get out and be active again. We are going to do a 10-k in October and another 5-k in September. We couldn't have done it without supportive husbands that help with the kids at night so we can go out on our runs. Thanks Jared and Aaron...you're the best!

ps. I found out that I was 3rd in my age bracket (old).

Caring Cabin 2009

We had the opportunity to go to the Caring Cabin this last week. It is a 3,900 sq ft. $1.5 million home that was built for families that have children with cancer. It had everything. Huge toy room with everything a kid could ever want to play with, a meditation room, beautiful bed and bathrooms, huge kitchen, and it's own private lake with boats. The kids played on the boats for hours trying to tip Uncle Micah and Uncle Sean with much success. My dad brought up 2 of his 4-wheelers so we could ride on the beach. All my brother's and sister with their families (minus Shae, my bro and Kellen mt nephew) were able to come (16 kids & 12 adults). They all traveled from UT, AZ, ID, OR and WA. It was an amazing experience and it was a perfect place to celebrate life, love, and family! I am incredibly bless with such a loving family. Thank you all for driving so far to be together. I will never forget it and I sure hope Payton doesn't.

Make a Smilebox slideshow