We have had a busy past few days!  Zac finally came home this weekend after being gone for 6 weeks for work so we had to jam pack a lot into the few short days that he was here.  Jack wanted to have a welcome home party on Saturday so we decorated and got things ready for his arrival.  The kids were over the moon excited to see him!  Saturday we met up with Zac’s dad and Dee for lunch and also went to the sports store to get Jack all ready for soccer which starts next weekend.  He looks so incredibly cute in his soccer gear!  He is so excited to start playing and of course he just really wants to win that trophy!

Zac, Braden, and Papa Ted

Jack in his soccer gear!

I have told you all before about the monthly box we get from BabbaCo called the BabbaBox…I must say that this months has been the best yet!  The theme was “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” and one of the projects inside provided us with these little gadgets called Makedo.  Jack was so excited to make something out of old boxes so Jack, Braden, and Zac made…Luigi the Robot!  So much fun.

Jack, Luigi, and Zac

Monday rolled around and Jack’s teacher knew Zac was back in town and asked if he wanted to come in to the classroom and help out the the class.  Of course he jumped at the offer and spent some time in Jack’s class today and then joined him for lunch.  They were able to eat outside and one of Jack’s new friends joined them.  They had a great time.  Zac and I went back after school to meet with the teacher for Jack’s first parent/teacher conference and that went well too.  We spend a good 45 minutes with her and really like her.  She is structured and Jack thrives with structure.  We were told that he has really come out of his shell and participates in everything which is good to hear.  He is doing really well and we are so proud of him.

Come Tuesday we had more running around to do and then Zac had to head out to NM again.  He will be back again this weekend so it was easier to say bye this time.  We were able to reconnect with an old hospital roommate last night and we are so excited!  One of Jack’s favorite roommates that he ever had was a teenage boy named Corey.  We loved him for his positive attitude, sense of humor, and great outlook on life.  Jack loved him because he was so much older (16 at the time) and would sit and play Wii with him for hours.  They were buddies and we grew to adore Corey and his family.  I lost their info awhile back but Jack’s nurse brought us back together and I am so excited.  Corey is doing really well…he is at ASU and living the dorm life and that is so wonderful.  We have plans for him to come over on Sunday to have dinner with us while we celebrate Jack’s 2nd birthday…yes, his 2nd.  Two years ago, on Labor Day, Jack successfully went through his stem cell transplant.  It is as if you are born again when you get these healthy cells so this weekend, Jack will be 2.  Crazy. Thankful, and always full of hope.

This was the very end of his transplant…it was supposed to last 10 minutes but it lasted 11 (in true Jack from)

Nikki and I are gearing up for our trip to LA next week for the Stand Up 2 Cancer event and we are so excited!  We had shirts made for the event, and of course for Jack…and then my parent’s wanted in and then my sisters family…so we will all take a pic when they come in.  I am thinking we might put them up for sale on the site…so we will let you know!

Also, I just got in a new batch of bracelets so if you are wanting to show your support for Jack and our fight against Neuroblastoma…make a $5 donation and we will send one out to you.  We have woman’s, men’s, and children’s sizes so please specify what you want to get!  Thank you so  much for your support!!!

Just an update to let you all know that early bird registration for the the “Children’s Fight for Life” event ends this Saturday!!!  Get your tickets now and take advantage of the early ticket pricing!  Last year was our first time attending this event and we had such an incredible time and can’t wait for this years event.  We have put together a few tables of 10 and I know you can too!  We would love to be able to get together with all of you and raise record breaking numbers for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at PCH.

You can get your tickets at www.childrensfightforlife.com

We hope to see you there!  Please email me if you have any questions! lmorton@thejackmortonfoundation.org

As the post says, we love school so much but we cannot stand the germs!  I know this is very “normal” but really…ughhhh!  Jack came down with this second cold for the year over the weekend it it was pretty uneventful (which is good!).  He did come down with a fever on Sunday and Monday so he had to skip school for a couple of days but he bounced back much faster than his previous colds so that must mean his immunity is back up to par…very exciting!  He did not like staying home from school and was very excited to get back in the swing of things yesterday.  Braden woke up yesterday with the same cold so we are now on lockdown again, but what can you do!

Nikki and I have been planning our trip to LA for the live Stand Up 2 Cancer event and we are so excited!!  I was thinking last night that I haven’t given credit where credit is due.  The amazing photo that you have all seen of Jack leaving his stem cell transplant was taken by my friend, and amazing photographer, Kacey Droz from About Love Studios (www.aboutlovestudio.com).  Kacey and I were best friends back in the day and we had lost touch after we started going to different high schools.  When Jack was about 1 1/2, Nikki, Jack, and I were flying out to CA and we ran into Kacey’s mom at the airport.  It has been so long since we had seen each other but she got Kacey and I back in touch and I was so thankful.  Kacey volunteered to come to the hospital the day Jack got out of transplant to take photos for us because she understood what a big moment it was for us all.  We probably wouldn’t have had such an amazing picture if she wasn’t there that day….not to mention that the second we left the hospital the air went out in our truck and she was there to take us home…thank God!  Thank you Kacey for capturing so many emotions that day!  Love you.

Here are a few more pictures that Kacey took that day…

Just chillin’…waiting to break free!

Jackers standing up for one of the first times in a couple of weeks…hard to believe how small he was

Our wonderful transplant nurse, Katie, unhooking Jack from all of the machines!!  He wasn’t thrilled apparently about something but we were so excited!

Jack hijacking Nikki’s cellphone so he could play with it on the way home.  Yes, we had sanitized it before he took it!

It had been a few weeks since we had seen Braden and he was so big!!!!

Yup, the tears started the second the door opened!  The girls expected him to be walking so the strings were up high and when he came out on his scooter, they all started laughing and cheering for him.  It was so sweet.

This is in the elevator…we had to take a few separate elevators to carry all of our stuff out of the hospital.  PCH treated us so well while we were there as did our amazing family and friends!  He rode that thing all the way to the front of the hospital!

Waiting for the car to pull up…before the air went out!  Jack’s first time outside in so long!

Thank you so much for all of the votes for the SU2C photo contest!  We found out today that Jack’s photo won 2nd place in a very close race.  While we didn’t win first place, we will still be attending the SU2C show in just over 2 weeks in LA!  Obviously it would have been wonderful to attend the after party that came along with the first place prize, but to be able to attend the event is just amazing in itself.  I cannot imagine the emotions that are going to be flowing when we stand in a room with thousands whose lives have been changed because of cancer and we all want the same thing….to stand up to cancer until there is no more.

Thank you to SU2C for this opportunity and thank you to all of you who voted!!!!

I finally heard from PCH today and Jack’s VMA/HVA results are totally normal.  This urine test is a very important test because it can detect Neuroblstoma in the body and since his are normal, we can take a deep breath for a few months until his next set of scans in November. It feels so much better!

I can say that today has been a great day.  The fact that the Stand Up 2 Cancer photo contest is ending today has caused a bit of nervousness but that is only because we think this would be such an amazing opportunity.  I cannot even imagine the feeling of standing in a room with thousands who are all there for the same reason…to stand up to cancer until there is no more.  Can you imagine?!  What a wonderful experience that would be!!

I am also very humbled by the response of my friends who have voted for Jacks’ picture and the wonderful things they have said about him.  It amazes me every day how many people Jack has touched and how inspirational he can be.

It has been a bit since I started writing and I just got a call from Dr Eshun confirming the results we were told earlier.  He went over everything and thinks Jack is doing really well.  He also finally admitted that I am a tad neurotic.  It was pretty funny to hear but he is so right!  I am so thankful that we were given Dr Eshun as Jack’s doctor.  Not only do I think that there isn’t another oncologist that would have been able to deal with me, but I really believe that he is the best oncologist out there.  He never looked at Jack as a statistic.  He look at Jack as a son, a grandson, a nephew, a friend, a cousin…he looked at Jack as an individiual that he wanted to help make better…and that is what he did.  We will be forever greateful to Dr Eshun.

So tonight is the last night for voting on the SU2C Facebook page….if you are on Facebook, vote NOW!

http://apps.facebook.com/istandupfor/contests/261680/voteable_entries/55189654