A day in the life of the Gandy's

Where do I begin...

2011-11-16T14:20:00.000-08:00

Well it's been awhile since I've actually got a moment to sit down and write. Things have been quite busy and when I do have a moment to breathe I just want to sit in my pj's and watch trashy reality T.V. I know I know it's not the best T.V. but I'm addicted that's for sure. =)

So I guess I'll begin with Brandon completed 33 rounds of Proton Radiation Therapy. I have to say being at the hospital 5 days a week was exhausting, and I know for him having to be at the hospital everyday seeing other sick people was not his ideal of a good time. We did make great friends with a lot of the staff there and it started to feel like home towards the end. They were very accommodating to our kids they even let them in the radiation rooms to explain to them how the laser beam is getting rid of daddy's bug in his head. Aidan was the one with the most questions, he's our little cancer advocate these days. Everything he does or wants to do is to help people fight cancer. The other night he asked me when Brandon wasn't feeling so well due to chemo "Mom when will daddy's cancer be gone so we can play like we use too?". That moment right there tore my heart into million pieces. He's only 5 but knows so much as to what is going on. It's crazy how kids can sense when things are not right, they may be young but they do know when something is going on. I never tried to shield my children from knowing that daddy is sick. I think they should know to an extent about what he is going through and be able to ask us questions.

Now that Brandon is done with his radiation we have to wait about 3 more months to get an MRI to see if the tumor has shrank. If they did an MRI right now there is too much swelling and it would actually look worse than before. So we wait til January and cross our fingers that the tumor has shrunk or even better it's completely gone. As far as chemotherapy goes he will be on it for at least a year. He will have 5 days on and 23 days off, giving him a 28 day cycle. Our first round of chemo we did while he was doing radiation was going very well until about late August when his platelet count dropped really low, he had to stop chemo until they went back up. On labor day weekend we went to the horse races in Del Mar had a great time with our friends The Mills'. By the time we got home we noticed these red dots all up and down Brandon's leg. I thought that's really strange, I got out our cancer handbook from the hospital to look it up. That's when we realized he had Petichiae or Pikachu as Brandon calls it (you know the cute little yellow character from Pokemon). So we called the on-call oncologist who informed us to go to the ER. So there we waited for god knows how long before we were finally seen. They took his blood counts again to find out he was at a 12 for platelets. For those of you that don't know what a normal number should be, 150 to 400 is on the normal side. He's numbers were far from normal and the ER docs requested he be admitted and given a platelet transfusion. At least this hospital trip was only a couple days, and after the transfusion his number went up to a not so critical level and he was released to go home.

Since that day he took almost a month and half break from chemo to give his body time to heal and the ability to get his blood counts back up. About 3 weeks ago he started his maintenance chemo with the 5 days on 23 days off. They upped his dosage to almost 2x the amount they were giving him before. We asked the doc if his side effects would be much worse, he assured us that it wouldn't be. Well boy was he wrong, poor guy couldn't get out of bed for almost 7 days and didn't even eat. This was by far the worse I've seen him, not even after Brain surgery was he like this. I soon started to do some research and learned that this wasn't normal. At that point I decided that it may be in our best interest to see a new oncologist, one that specializes in Brain Cancer. That's where we found Dr. P at City of Hope. She is a brain cancer specialist and deals with cases like his everyday. She informed us that the dosage he was on for this round of chemo was just to high due to his past complications of having thrombocytopenia. The prognosis she gave us wasn't the best one, but like she said there isn't a lot of cases like Brandon to compare things too. They are going to treat this like it's a stage 4, that way we are aggressively treating it. So we hope for the absolute best outcomes and I just know in my heart that he will beat this. The kids and I need him around for a very very long time.

It's a hard thing to hear when someone puts a limit on your loved ones life. That day and week I cried for hours and hours. It took me awhile to tell myself I need to get these number out of my head, because if I let that define us he won't be here with us. Cancer is a horrible disease and to see how it breaks down the strongest of people is just crazy. I tell Brandon everyday you can't throw in the towel you have to fight even when your feeling horrible you have to push through and fight. I can't even imagine what he is going through mentally and physically. Everyday I wish I can take this pain away from him so he can go back to being his normal self. It's so hard to see someone you love this way. There are days I'm so mad that this has happened to us, but then I know things happen for a reason. People always tell me "God will never give you more than you can handle". Well if that's the case I think at times he's picked the wrong person cause my plate is beyond full and most days I feel like I'm at the verge of breaking to pieces. I know that I need to be strong for Brandon and the kids, but there are days I just want to hide and pretend cancer hasn't invaded our family.

Next week is Thanksgiving and wow did the holidays creep up fast this year. I'm already putting together recipes to make for turkey dinner. One thing I love to do is cook, I guess I find a sense of relaxation in it. I hope you all enjoy your time with your loved ones and don't take one minute for granted.

Looking great after 33 rounds of Radiation

A little set back to the ER =(

Transfusion Time, he looks just like Aidan here =)

The next chapter of our journey has begun...

2011-08-04T15:57:00.000-07:00

So Brandon's journey into treatment has begun. The first few days weren't so bad I thought wow he's got this for sure, but then chemo and radiation reared there ugly head. The way Brandon explained to me the process of radiation seems like pure torture. Having your head strapped down to a table while a beam is shot between your eyes and one at the side of your head doesn't sound like anything I want to endure. I have to say he's been a champ through all of this. Even with the bouts of nausea and extreme sleepiness he still manages to make me laugh or smile everyday. When Old Brandon comes back even if it is for just one moment it makes me so unbelievably happy. I know he has to be going crazy just staying at home all day cause I know I sure would be. I try my hardest on the weekends to just get him out even if it's for a little bit so he can see someplace different besides our house or the hospital.

We spend 5 days out of the week at the hospital surrounded by doctors, nurses and other cancer patients. By the weeks end I'm tired of hearing about cancer and just want to hang out with my kids or go to dinner with friends. I know Brandon feels the same way he feels as if his life is just a schedule of appointments to see doctors, take meds and have beams shot at his head. I know I've been hard on him lately and he feels as if I'm always mad him. I tried to tell him that "I'm not mad at you I'm mad at the cancer". I'm mad that cancer has turned our world upside down, I'm mad that I have to argue with the insurance companies,HR depts and state disability to fight for things, I'm mad that we have to miss our son's football practice every night cause we're at the hospital. I miss my kids more than anything. Between being at work 8 hours a day and and the hospital at night I feel like we don't get to see them as much. I know this is all temporary but it's still hard.

A few weeks ago we had a charity poker tournament for my hubby. It was a great success, we had so many donations and prizes from friends and local companies. I wish I could of won some of those prizes who wouldn't want a free 5 days in a RV thanks to El Monte RV or a Brazilian Blow Out thanks to Kerri Huddleston, a surround sound speaker system from Mactus Integrations, a margarita party pack from Rocklin Packaging, and much much more. We have great friends and family that are willing to stand by our side through all of this. Everyday I thank God for them. If you don't have a great support system there's no way you could do this alone.

At the Grey 4 Gandy Poker Tournament

To all you caregivers out there I tip my hat to you. This is a job that runs 24 hours a day with no breaks. This job will drop you to your knees some days cause you just don't know how much more you can endure. There are some days I drive to work and tears constantly roll down my face cause I feel like I have to wear so many hats to make everyone happy. Last week my hubby started to lose his hair I tried to remain calm and tell him "it's ok, it's ok it will grow back", but I know he could see the fear and shock in my face. I do know in time it will grow back and I will see his beautiful head of hair again, it just angers me that Cancer is taking this away too. It like seriously haven't you taken enough already, all we want is a break. I want one morning for my hubby to wake up and not feel sick or extremely tired because of the Chemo or Radiation. I just want life back to normal, but I do know our only way there is to go through these steps. There is a light at the end of the tunnel I just haven't seen it yet. But when I do I will be running full speed towards it's.

My Hubby's beautiful hair

The torture chamber called Proton Radiation

Thank you all for being there and supporting us on this journey. It's a long one but will be worth every minute of it in the end.

Learning to Smile Again...

2011-06-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

My sister sent me a message the other day while she was out. She told me "I'm finally learning to smile again". At that moment I didn't know what she meant so I sent her a message back stating "Huh". She said the last few months I've kind of been sad/depressed with everything that's been happening but now I'm learning to smile and be happy again. Then I thought to myself when was the last time I smiled cause I was really happy and I couldn't remember. When I'm around people lately I notice I do the fake smile or laugh just so no one knows that I'm really crying or upset inside. I know things these days aren't the easiest but I need to really find that "Place of yes" and learn to smile again. I feel my days are consumed with work, kids after school sports and constant phone calls to insurance companies and doctors offices. Running Brandon's health and medical needs is almost like having a 3rd job, but it's something I would not want anyone else to do. This way I know he's getting the best care possible, because if you know me I'm very hands on and aggressive when it comes to things like that. Trust me the poor nurses and medical assistants at the hospital know me very well, we're even on a first name basis. Hahaha

So my new resolution to myself is to take at least 1 hour a day to just breathe and relax. I'm go go go non stop til about midnight every night. I've noticed that I'm starting to get very run down and I will never find a happy place at this rate. I also suggest all you other mommy, daddy's, wives, husbands and everyone else do the same. Take a step back and learn to enjoy the simple things in life even if it's just watching your favorite TV show, reading a book or watching your kids play outside. Go and find that place that gives you peace and happiness.

A little update on Brandon a lot of you ask when his next post will be, hopefully soon. He's a talented and creative writer but I know with all the meds he's on his sleep schedule is far from normal. He can tell a story like no other and even when he rambles to me about programming or gaming I can still listen to him for hours even though I'm clueless what he's talking about. It's just because he makes everything so interesting. So as for now no more surgery until its deemed a necessity. Remember my whole Quality vs. Quantity post you'll understand more by reading that. I had a very hard time accepting Brandon's choice that day but in the end it is his choice and he has to be 100% ok with his decisions. I'm merely a sidekick going to root him on until we hear those words "Your in Remission". Next up is Proton Radiation and Chemotherapy. I hear great things about proton radiation and I have full faith Brandon will pull through a winner like always.

I hope you all a great and memorable 4th of July.

Here's some pics from the past of my babies in there red, white and blue.

Father's Day

2011-06-23T16:36:00.000-07:00

This pass Sunday was a day we spoiled and honor those men that helped make us the people we are today and raise us like we are there very own. I'm proud to say I have 3 great men in my life, My dad, my husband and father in law. A little unique fact about my husband and I is we were both raised by our step fathers. These are two great men that stepped up to the plate when our own biological father could not. I have to say they both have done an amazing job raising us and I thank God everyday for bringing them into our lives. Even though I was not able to spend Father's Day with my dad I want him to know I love him so very much and thank him for always being there when I needed advice or a shoulder to cry on. Also to my step father Doug for raising the most amazing father and husband I now have today.

This father's day we decided low key was better and we did a BBQ at our in laws house. We ate yummy Mexican food til I could no longer button my pants and had freshly made chocolate chip cookies and milk for dessert. We also watched movies, kids played Just Dance on Wii, and had some great conversations. I hope you all had a wonderful Father's Day as well and always remember to tell that father figure in your life you love them.

Here's a little video I made for my hubby, I hope you enjoy it.

P.S. if it makes you cry I'm sorry I bawled my eyes out for 3 days making it.

Aidan playing Just Dance.

Daddy and his Mini Me

Daddy and his Princess

Quality vs. Quantity

2011-06-10T11:15:00.000-07:00

This has been an ongoing debate in our household since we found out about Brandon's Brain Cancer. This is a debate I wish we could of gone our whole lives without having, but now that we are in this position it's a much needed discussion. My views on everything have been more of a selfish one. I want him here next to me until were old and grey and he has to change my depends lol. I've done lots of endless research and spent many nights not sleeping trying to figure out the best course of treatment for this type of cancer. What many doctors and hospitals suggest is to remove as much of the tumor as possible. This gives radiation and chemotherapy the best chances at killing what tumor cells are left, but in Brandon's case this is a hard one. His tumor lies in such a high real estate area where he could potentially never speak again and may have weakness on the right side of his body. Dr. S discussed that he wants to try a new procedure to keep him awake during surgery so there is a lesser chance of this happening. As you may know they tried to do an awake surgery the last time but there were issues with the intubation tube and the anatomy of Brandon's neck. This time around he won't have an intubation tube down his throat but will be given 2 different medications to perform this and wake him up when it's time. Next week they will be performing a Functional MRI to see exactly where and what parts of the brain the tumor is affecting. This is one thing I'm really looking forward to, since it will give us all a better picture of what is really going on.

So back to our debate. I have to say in my heart I want the functional MRI to come back and say they have a good chance of resecting part of the tumor. But on the other hand I know my hubby is not fond of the fact of having surgery again, being there's a chance he will not be able to speak. His aspect on everything has been Quality of life. If they say he only has 5 years then he wants to be able to at least speak to his kids and tell them everything they need to know in that 5 years. Instead of having 10 years of not being able to tell his story. I have been the selfish one wanting the most time I can have with him, but I understand exactly where he is coming from. I guess as a mother I would want all the time in the world to be with my family, but it would be hard not to speak to them and tell them what life has to offer and how to become the most amazing adults I know they will be one day. Brandon always tells me "You may say you would want the surgery now cause your not the one who has the tumor". And he's right I do say that, but would I feel the same way if I were in his shoes. I don't know, that's the hard part. So now we wait for our next chapter in the journey to start. I know Brandon feels very anxious to get all of this started and so do I. I just want him to have the best chances of fighting this beast and kicking it's ASS. Hopefully next week we will have more answers for all of you. Keep those prayers and good thoughts coming our way cause we need every single one of them.

P.S. we had an amazing time in the east coast. It was so nice to see my family and spend time with some amazing friends over there as well. For that one week it felt like cancer wasn't around and we got back to our normal lives. Let me tell you we ate so much good food it was worth the extra pounds I put on. And if your ever in NYC make sure you to stop at Five Napkins, those burgers, fries, taquitos and S'mores Shakes are to die for.

For those of you wanting to purchase t-shirts click here. Thanks to those of you that have purchased them already. I will be shipping those out later this week.

XOXOXO,

Momo

The loves of my life

My mini me

My amazing parents..Thank you again for making our trip one to remember

My hubby looks hot..me not so much with my fro lol

Our little family

Oh and BTW cancer after were done kicking your ass we will be going here. Make sure our cabana boy or girl has my umbrella drink waiting for me as soon as I hit the sand. =)

Bora Bora..my dream destination

Wearing Grey 4 Gandy

2011-05-25T10:51:00.000-07:00

Hi ya'all our great friends the Pfutz's have created a shirt to support Brandon and the proceeds will go to help with Medical Bills.

There are 2 designs to choose from or a donation link at the bottom of the page. One is Brandon's journey with brain cancer and the other is F*ck Cancer.

Thank you all for your continued Love and Support towards our family and throughout Brandon's Battle. WE WILL FIGHT THIS!

If you need to view spec sizes of the T-Shirts here are the links:

Youth Sizes

Adult Sizes

The Tank Tops will be made with American Apparel shirts so this is why they cost a little more.

Here is the website for the specs on that shirt:

Women's Sizes

Men's Sizes

Graduations, Birthdays, Doctors and more

2011-05-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

Phewww this has been a crazy few days. I don't think I even had 5 mins to just breathe and relax. It was go go go all day long. Last week was filled with back to back birthdays, graduations and doctors appointments. I was hoping this week would be a bit more quiet but I'm out of luck there.

So let's get this story started. Friday, May 20th was a jammed packed day from 7am til 3am the next day. The day started off by my little boy graduating Pre-Kindergarten. Who the heck knew that they even had a graduation for this grade but I guess they do. He was so very excited to wear his nice outfit and sing his heart out on stage with his class. The last few weeks I have heard God Bless America at least 100x, I think I know it word for word now. So as we were sitting there waiting for the graduation to begin they handed out brochures listing each kids name and what they wanted to be when they grow up. We had the standard Police Officers, Teachers, Mommies, and Fire Fighters listed down for most of the kids. So I search for my sons name and low and behold my son puts down he wants to be a NINJA. Seriously my son wants to be a ninja we he grows up, he has played one to many video games. I couldn't help but laugh and also be proud of him for not conforming to the norm and thinking outside the box. So when it came time for them to announce Aidan's name and list his future occupation I did what any proud parent would do. Yell and scream with happiness at the top of my lungs. I have to say he did get biggest round of applause and laughs from the audience. After graduation we went to a local pizza parlor and enjoyed some pizza, ice cream cake, cupcakes and a edible arrangements sent by my momma from Jersey. Wowza I was completely stuffed after that.

Cute little Baby Meghan..love the bows

The boy cuzzy's

Aidan and Mrs. Laura

My little Princess cheering her brother on

Aidan and his silly grad glasses

Next up was my hubby's follow up doctor appointment with the neurosurgeon at Loma Linda. A lot of you have asked what happened at this appointment. Many of those questions were answered in Brandon's Blog. But I will go into a little more depth of what went on. Since I carry this handy dandy notebook Sheila gave me since she went through the same thing with her husband. Which I have to say is the best piece of advice I have gotten from someone on this journey. That notebook goes everywhere with me. I log all of Brandon's seizures down in it, questions for the doctors, meds and much more. We went into the appointment wanting to get some general questions answered by him. But I think we left with more questions than we came with. So the one of questions we had was why the first surgery did not go as planned. We learned that the anatomy of his neck makes its difficult to get an intubation tube down with a little cup on the end of it. So they had to scratch the awake surgery and just do a biopsy. With most surgeons they only do a biopsy on one or two areas, but he took 12 samples so they could get the best possible results as to what type of cancer this is. So it is a Stage 2glioma or diffuse astrocytoma. The pathology report does state they can not rule out Stage 3 but for now it does look like it's a Stage 2.

We are now given two options to proceed with, Surgery or No Surgery. First we had thought surgery was off the table since they could not get him awake and how the tumor is very deep within the brain. But we have now learned that there are other options to get him to remain awake without an intubation tube. The reason the surgeon wants to try surgery again is to remove at least half the tumor so when Brandon does Chemotherapy/Proton Radiation it's fighting a much smaller tumor. Our ultimate goal is to not have this turn into a Stage 3 or Stage 4 which is much harder to fight. Like with any surgery there are risk. The biggest risk involved here is the ability to speak again. If they could get him awake during the surgery there is a better chance of not harming the broca area, but if for some reason they can not the chance is much much greater. The other option is to watch the tumor like a hawk. Constant MRI's every few weeks, then every couple months. This is also coupled with Chemotherapy and Radiation at the same time to try and shrink this tumor. If at any time the tumor continues to grow he would have to have surgery. We have a little over 3 weeks to make this decision. We can not start radiation until the decision has been made. This is since radiation leaves scar tissue and it will be a lot harder of a surgery once this has been done. He also wants Brandon to talk about all of the options with family and friends, and make the best decision possible.

So here we stand wondering what route to take next. Like I've told Brandon he ultimately has to be the one that is 100% ok with which route we take. In my heart of hearts I would want him to do surgery now, so that we have the best chances at fighting this demon. But on the other hand do I want to take that risk of my husband never speaking again, NO of course not. So I'm torn on what is our best course of action to take and I can't even imagine what Brandon is feeling at this point. These past few days have been rough on him. With the changing of seizure meds, weaning off dexamethsone (which is now called the devil drug) and taking pain pills for the side effects, his sleeping patterns are far from normal. I know depression sets in every once in awhile with him and sleep seems to be the only place he feels normal again. It breaks my heart to see him like this. I haven't had much time to deal with sadness or any sort of depression at this point. My days are filled with working 8 hours, taking Aidan to school, constant calls from doctors, P.A., nurses. case workers, social workers, arguing with the local pharmacy and insurance company, tae kwon do practice, making dinner, bathing kids, putting kids to beds, and making sure Brandon has taken all of his meds for the day. By the time the day has ended I'm beyond exhausted. I can barely keep my eyes open to watch my favorite reality TV. My poor house looks like a tornado ran through it. One day I will be able to clean it again. For now it's making sure everyone is taken care of and that Brandon is receiving the best care out there.

Ok enough complaining let's talk about my birthday party Old Lady style. Some of my closest friends joined me for sushi at my favorite spot. I ate yummy yummy sushi til I couldn't eat any more. Then it was off to the local casino for Bingo and Penny slots. Ok let me say this playing Bingo with people who have never played before has to be the most hilarious thing ever. First rule of Bingo is when they call B-5 you only look down the B row not across the whole damn card. Then we had the Bingo caller with the sex hot line voice, oh and we can't forget when Brad thought he had Bingo but really didn't. I was in tears laughing the majority of the night. Next up was Penny slots it was so packed here it was hard to find a good machine. But we finally found one of our favorites Wizard of Oz and I won one of the progressive hands which was only $53.89 but hell that was $53.00 more than I had. Then Alia was another winner winner with her Bonus round making her a $100.00 richer. With all of our hootin and hollarin we had a huge crowd around us for our little winnings. You would of thought we won million dollars. But that's how we roll at the casino. By the time 2:30am came around this momma was a little tipsy and ready for bed.

In the elevator in route for BINGO

Brad showing us his non-Winning Card

My sissy and I playing penny slots

All my girly's except for my preggo pop Crystal

The boys

The next day I was up bright and early to sign Aidan up for Pop Warner Football and run more errands. That night we had another birthday to celebrate at the W hotel in Westwood. It was nice to get dressed up and have a few hours out with my hot hubby. But beware when you drink in LA it will cost you an arm and a leg. I had 1 Bellini and ordered 4 small shots for us girls and it cost me $80.00 I almost fell out of my chair and closed out my bar tab as fast as I could. I think I like being the DD most of the time it's a lot cheaper. By the time Sunday came around I was ready for a Mickey Mouse fix an away we went. The happiest place on earth always makes you feel better and so does their churros. The kids, my sis and I had a blast riding rides and eating lots of junk food. I'm pretty certain all of the walking and carrying kids worked it off, or at least I hope it did.

In a few days we leave for NYC/Jersey and we all really need this time away from here to just relax and enjoy one another. Cancer is a topic that will always be on our minds but maybe for a few days we can pretend it's not there. Since when we get back decision have to be made and treatment will begin. We will be seeing lots of doctors and hospital walls but the memories we will make while on the East Coast will keep us smiling for awhile. So ta ta for now. I'll blog some more after our visit at the proton center on Thursday. It's a 3-4 hour appointment and we're bound to learn a lot more about this journey.

We have seen our enemy and we're ready to attack

2011-05-07T19:58:00.001-07:00

This week I went back to work and WOW was that hard. I felt guilty to leave him only a week after surgery. I kept thinking what if he needs me and I'm not there. But like Brandon said it's like pulling off a band-aid we just have to do it. The first day back your bombarded by questions from people. People telling you how sorry they are, that there praying for you everyday or they know what your going through because there friend of a friend had cancer. On the outside I thank them for there prayers and kind thoughts. But on the inside I'm really mad at God right now and I want to tell people no you don't know how I feel until you are put in this situation. I know people mean well I'm just so angry and in disbelief lately. I want to do what any mom or wife does best, make everything better. In this situation I can't, but I can research every aspect and find the best doctors and our best plan of action to fight this monster.

Over a year ago I began following a story of a little girl named Layla Grace. I was introduced to her story from someone I followed on twitter. I began reading how she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma. I would stare at her pictures and think of how much she reminded me of Ashlyn. I would follow her families blog, twitter updates and radio interviews. Everyday I prayed that this little girl would get better and make a full recovery. On March 9, 2010 she earned her angel wings into heaven. I remember sitting in my car when I heard this news and began to cry. I couldn't imagine for one moment what these people were going through. But now we're faced with the same situation and never for a million years thought it would happen to us. You kind of go through life thinking you're invincible from these types of illnesses. That it will never happen to you, but when it does you feel like you were hit in the stomach and can no longer breathe.

This Friday we met with the oncologist for the first time. She showed us an image of where exactly Brandon's tumor is lying in his brain. Like Brandon said in his post you think its this scab that you can just go in an remove. But his is much different it is like a bruise and deep in between many layers of his brain. How can you remove a bruise without removing all the good stuff that surrounds it. We also found out that yes this is a Stage 2 cancer but there are some areas of the tumor that are more aggressive than others. So we're going to treat this as if it's a Stage 3 and doing oral chemotherapy called Temodar, and 6-7 weeks of radiation 5 days a week. Also blood work will be done every week to make sure all his counts are in normal range. So if you are sick even with a damn runny nose do not come to my house I will not let you pass the front door. We have to assure that he remains in good health during all of this, if he gets an infection we have to stop treatment. So I may become somewhat of lunatic like you've never seen me before but remember it's for his best interest. We will also do an MRI every 3 months to make sure the tumor is shrinking. I know in my heart of hearts that everything will be OK. Brandon is strong and ready to fight this thing a 100%, but if I could have one wish in the world would be to take this from him. No one wants to see there loved one suffer or in pain. The next few months are going to be tough but I know in the end it will all be OK.

A couple months before we found everything out we booked at trip to NYC/Jersey to visit with my parents. So before treatment begins were doing one last hurrah and taking a little vacation to just get away from everything. I think we're all looking forward to this. Soaking up the sun, playing with the kids in Central Park, eating ice cream at Serendipity and hush puppies at Brother Jimmy's. Yes I love food can you tell =). So now that we have seen our enemy we're going to attack until we hear the words "we can not detect any more cancer cells". Those words will be like winning the lotto to me.

And so our journey begins....

2011-05-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

Where do I even begin. I've been wanting to vent and write a post for a few days now but I did not know where to start. Hell I just recently began to process what has been happening and how our lives have changed in a matter seconds. Who would of thought 6 little letters could turn your whole world upside down. But that's what cancer does it invades your life like an unwanted stranger. When I first initially found out that Brandon had a brain tumor I felt like someone sucked the life out of me. I could hardly breathe, I pretty much gave myself an asthma attack. I called my boss and informed her of what happened, she came right back to the office. She's more than boss she's one of my closest friends and has always been there when I needed her most. My next phone call was to my parents. My dad is a very strong man and just calmly talked to me telling me everything will be ok and that I needed to be strong for Brandon. At that very moment I knew I could not go home a bawling mess I had to be strong for Brandon, our kids, for everyone. I didn't want anyone to see me breakdown, especially Brandon because I needed him to be strong enough to fight this thing.

That night I searched the internet to find answers. Our doctor at the time pretty much led us to a dead end and I needed to find our way out and plan our next move. I had a copy of our MRI so I found email addresses of neurosurgeons and began emailing them. Once 8am hit I was making phone calls to every hospital around here. Then I finally started to get responses and phone calls back from P.A. and medical assistants stating they have spoken with there neurosurgeons and that he should of never been sent home. So off to Loma Linda Hospital we went. The next fews days pretty much ran together for me. I didn't sleep much knowing he was there and not next to me in bed. When surgery day came I was a nervous wreck. One being I didn't even get to kiss him goodbye before they wheeled him back, since he went in before visiting hours even started. Two HOLY CRAP my husband is having brain surgery. The nice thing about Loma Linda is they give you a pager to guide you step by step through the surgery. At 10:33 am I received a text that surgery had started, then I began to calm down a little more. I kind of just sat there talking to family and friends as we waited. They anticipated surgery being at least 6 hours so I know we had a long day ahead of us. Then 27 minutes later I receive another text "Please go down to the main lobby the surgeon wants to meet with you". Right then I sprang out of that seat and ran down stairs as fast as I could. What the hell could of gone wrong in 27 minutes, this surgery was suppose to last 6 hours. It seriously felt like eternity waiting for the surgeon to arrive. Almost 30 minutes later after pacing the lobby and breaking down in tears the surgeon finally arrived. Before he could even make it the lobby I ran to him. First words out of his mouth "Surgery went well" Oh THANK THE LORD everything was ok. He then proceeded to tell us there was a little bit of complications due to him not breathing right with the first intubation tube, so they were unable to take away the tumor but instead did a biopsy.

The next couple of hours we were back in the day room waiting for them to wheel Brandon back from surgery I wanted him to see me as soon as he got out of that elevator. I just needed to know he was ok and he was. In good old Brandon fashion he was already cracking jokes and making fun of my mother. It made me so happy that he was alright. He seriously was like a rock star out of surgery. Wanting to eat already, asking us to put the laker game on, visiting with friends and family. Wow I didn't even feel that well after having a C-section with the kids and here he is after brain surgery acting like it's nothing. I'm a wimp compared to him . The next day I was there first thing at 8 am cause I knew they were going to discharge him. So as we waited for the doctors to sign his release form we watched Crocodile Dundee of all things. But it just felt good to spend some quality time together. Then at about 10:15 am a new doctor came in, but this is a teaching hospital so we were use to seeing a lot of doctors and medical students. She introduced herself as Dr. P from hematology/oncology. At that moment my heart just sank why in the world would she becoming to see us. They just did the biopsy yesterday and they said it would take 5-7 days to get results. She informed us that the preliminary results came back as a low grade glioma. I stared at her like she was talking a foreign language. I no longer was listening to what was coming out of her mouth at all I can remember was that word cancer. This nightmare wasn't ending it was getting worse. The last thing I remember her saying was we do need to wait for the final results cause things can change. At that point I was hoping they would come back Friday and tell us that they were wrong and it was benign.

Then Friday came and the doctor stated those ugly words again cancer. It was a stage 2 glioma and most stage 2 they just keep an eye on it, but with Brandon's type they wanted to start treatment soon. So that leaves us with today waiting for the cancer center to call us back as to when our first appointment will be and where we go from here. The unknown has to be the hardest. And now the first round of medical bills have already started to come in and it makes me sick to my stomach wondering how do we afford these with the rest of the normal daily bills we have to pay. It makes me sad that even when you are at the lowest point in your life you still have to worry about these things. Our dream was to buy a house at the end of this year and finally stop renting. Have a home to call our own, this might be put on a back burner for awhile but I know one day it will happen.

Before I go I do want to say thank you to all of our friends and family that have stood by our side through this. You have been so amazing and we could not do this without you. I have a hard time asking anyone for help but you have all been there helping us in one way or another. We have a long journey ahead of us, but I know in a few years from now we will beat this and it will make us stronger. To my husband your an amazing man and father. Your whole outlook and demeanor on this has been such a positive one. Your never cease to amaze me. I will be by your side through this entire journey and you will be a cancer survivor. And by the way hubby your still taking me to Hawaii to renew our vows when this is all said and done. =)

Our dating days

Our friends who have been our rock

Our family that continues to give there love and support

Our many trips to the happiest place on earth

One of the best days of our life

Now it's time to kick Cancer's butt, we will win.

My New Years resolution to myself

2011-02-08T15:59:00.000-08:00

So we are already creeping into our 2nd month of the new year and I vowed to myself that this is the year I'm really going to stick to a diet and finally start working out. I've told myself this same thing for the last 2 years but never followed through. But this year is different I have a great workout partner who is participating with me and rooting me on through this whole process. Who would of known all I needed was a little Alia to help me get my goals started. Seriously if it wasn't for her I would still be enjoying my Sprinkles cupcakes and sitting my lazy butt in front of the TV watching the bachelor and Real Housewives. Who am I kidding I'm still going to veg and watch those shows but no Sprinkles Cupcakes will be in hand for at least a little while.

Alia and I dressed in our lovely 80's costumes =)

She rocked it me not so much. hahaha

So I will be blogging about my journey and hoping to see all my hard work payoff. This week I started fitness boot camp and OMG that is no joke. They kick your bootay for that whole hour there is 30 sec breaks here and there but your getting one crazy work out to the point I almost wanted to puke. I've also been enjoying Spin classes, at first I wasn't too sure about it but now I love it. Such a great way to get out all your stress and just ride it out to great music (helloooo Michael Jackson) for an hour.

Tonight I'm off to Yoga and hoping it will help me stretch some of these sore muscle that I can barely walk. Hell I can hardly sit on the toilet. Now that's a funny mental picture right there. But it's a good pain and that means all of this is paying off. The diet is one thing I'm struggling with but I know it will get easier in time. So here's to hoping I look like this by the time all is said and done with.

Ashlyn's 3rd Birthday Disney Style

2011-01-24T20:37:00.000-08:00

What a better place to celebrate a little girls birthday who is obsessed with Mickey Mouse and all things Disney Princess than Disneyland. So I had searched Disneyland website for the best place to celebrate her birthday and soon found out they have the "Happiest Birthday on Earth" at the Plaza Inn. You get to have a cake decorating contest with Pat E. Cake and then good old one on one time with Mickey and Minnie. I knew this would for sure be a birthday our little princess would not forget. Here are some pics from her party hope you enjoy, because we sure had a blast.

Her adorable birthday outfit from TheZboutique on Etsy

Decorating her cake

This is what the cakes look like before you decorate

Aidan and his Cousin Jayden

Everyone is having a blast decorating cakes.

Group photo of the whole gang

Our Family Pic with the Mouse

My sister was having fun torturing my hubby.

One of her birthday presents she had to wear.

Happy 3rd birthday baby girl. I hope you had a blast spending your birthday at the Happiest Place on earth. I still can't believe your 3 already, time sure does fly when your having fun.

My little Princess turned 3

2011-01-04T21:13:00.000-08:00

Well my little girl is officially not a baby anymore. On January 2nd she turned 3. Where did time go I feel like it was just yesterday I found out I was pregnant with her. And I remember that day vividly. It was 3 weeks after we got married, and I was so exhausted and nauseous from every smell and food imaginable. I thought maybe I was just run down after 18 months of planning my wedding of a lifetime and running around with a 18 month old, but then I realized it had been awhile since I got my period. So I called the new hubby up at work and told him something wasn't right. He told me go to the store and pick up a test and call him back with the results. We had talked recently about having another. But not this soon we wanted to plan on a summer baby since we already had Aidan who's birthday falls 2 weeks before Christmas. I went to the store grabbed a test and ran home. Drank a few cups of water, waited til I had to pee then peed on my little pregnancy stick. (got a great mental picture there don't you lol)

The box says can take up to 2 to 3 min for results to show, well that wasn't my case that puppy had two pink lines staring at me within seconds. I was indeed pregnant again. I was in shock at this moment since we were leaving on honeymoon in a week and was not looking forward to morning sickness while on our trip. I then immediately called my hubby and he was elated with so much joy. I couldn't believe it he was happier than I was, probably cause he doesn't have to carry the baby for 9 months in his belly or have morning sickness and constipation. Ok Ok TMI I know.

So the pregnancy progressed and at 18 weeks we decided to take both sides of our families and do a 3D ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby. When the ultrasound tech said a girl we all started screaming and I started crying I was so happy. I had a my little prince and now a princess. We had the perfect little family.

Then it came time to think of a name to call her. I always loved Addison for a girl. But I was soon told I'm no longer allowed to name our kids after a TV show I loved. I like Addison from Private Practice. And Aidan got his name from SATC. Who can blame me both great actors and actresses right?? So the hubby finally came up with a named he loved Ashlyn, and what a perfect name it was. Now that we had her name, the nursery was painted and decorated in pink, yellow, and green polka dots and now it was time to wait for her arrival. On January 2, 2008 that day finally came. I had been waking up all that night with pretty bad cramps but will still able to go back to sleep. But finally at 8 am they were a little to close together and getting stronger and stronger each time. My hubby had just taken on a new job and I didn't want to bother him so I told him I was just going to go to the docs to have them check on me. I called the docs told him how far apart the contractions were and I had lost my mucus plug he ordered me to get straight to the hospital. So I had my grandmother watch Aidan and I drove myself to the hospital which was 25 mins away from my house. Boy was I crazy trying to drive and not swerve into cars when contractions got bad. I finally arrived was checked in and told my contractions were a few mins apart. By then my hubby had knew something was wrong left work and meet me at the hospital. They then schedule a C-section for me at 6p.m. Several minutes after 6pm my little girl had finally arrived and she was so gorgeous. I couldn't get enough of her. 7 pounds 4oz and 21 inches long.

My big Belly

All ready for surgery

She's here..daddy cutting the cord

Family pic, just missing Aidan

She's perfect and chunky

Big Brother finally got to hold her

Later that night we learned she had some breathing problems and had to be transported to another hospital that had a NICU. My worse nightmare came true for a second time, how can another one of my babies be sick again right after being born. So my hubby followed the ambulance to the hospital and spoke with the doctors about what had gone wrong. Ashlyn was born almost a month early and her lungs were not fully ready yet. So she had to spend some time in the NICU to be put on meds and breathing machines to help her. 7 days later we were able to take her home.

Her home for the next 7 days

Auntie Sha Sha and Uncle Marc stopped by to visit

She only had eyes for daddy

Finally we got to bring her home

Now she is a singing dancing diva that can not be tamed. She amazes us everyday by the things she comes up with. She truly is one girly girl. From dress up to make up she needs it all. Happy Birthday Princess Ashlyn.

Her 1st birthday

2nd birthday we rented a pig for her piggy theme

Her adorable outfit made by @preppypoppy

Such a doll.

My two beautiful kids.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-15T22:48:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from my Munchkins

Aidan's Journey

2010-12-08T18:35:00.000-08:00

Today my little boy turned 5, my oh my has time flied these last few years. I can sill remember like it was yesterday when we finally got to bring him home from the hospital. Aidan's journey to get here has surely been a special one that I'm going to share with you today. I initially did not find out I was pregnant with him until I was almost 12 weeks along, I know crazy right. I had been on the pill called seasonale where you only get a period 4 times a year so not having one was natural for me. But when aunt flo was suppose to arrive and she didn't I was a little concerned but not much. I schedule an appt at my doctors he did a pregnancy test came back negative and he even went as far as to run a blood test still nothing. So another month passes and no aunt flo, I go back again he does an ultrasound and low and behold there's a baby in my tummy. Let me tell you the shock I was in since my husband (boyfriend at the time) and I had only been for together for a FEW months. Yes you read that right I got preggers 4 months in. Talk about getting to know someone real quickly.

So as the pregnancy went on we were very excited awaiting the arrival of our baby. We found out at 20 weeks we were having a boy. For months and months we went back and forth on names. Then we decided that he would take my husbands first name Brandon and I got to pick his middle name. And since I am a big Sex in the City fan and I of course loved Aidan so that's what I decided. Yes I named my son after a character on SATC. So not to confuse our son we decided we would call him by his middle name Aidan. About 28 weeks I was shopping for maternity clothes and noticed something wasn't right I was having some bad cramping and discharge. My doctors appt was 2 days later and I informed him of this and he decided he was going to check and see if I was dilated. Sure enough I was already 50% effaced and 1cm dilated. I was ordered to be on strict bed rest. I was only allowed 5 min showers and walks to and from the bathroom. I thought he was crazy I had to spend the next 12 weeks in bed watching tv, reading books and doing nothing else. I was for sure going to go crazy. So for the first few weeks I was really good but then I decided to venture out of my bedroom and just go to the store to get a few quick things for the baby. Boy was that a bad idea a few days later that put me into labor and back in the hospital. Thank goodness they stopped labor and later that evening I was sent home.

As soon as I got to 37 weeks I could stop taking my meds that stopped labor and sure enough on December 8th was the day my little bundle of joy was coming. After 15 hours in labor I knew something was wrong and that he wasn't going to come naturally. I begged the doctor for a C-section and he gave in. While in the operating room he told me you know your body well that baby was really stuck and would of never come out naturally. Finally at 11:35 p.m. he arrived 7lb 11oz and 19 inches long.

In labor with horrible back pain

Waiting patiently for this baby to come out

He's finally here

My precious little boy

The next day his pediatrician came by to do his newborn check up and noticed he was breathing funny and asked the nurse to check his pulse/oxygen and realized it was low. So they sent him off to the NICU to do some further testing. As the day progress things took a turn for the worse. We found out he had a seizure while in the NICU and had a pretty bad infection in his lungs. We then learned our precious baby boy would have to spend some time there. We were told he may have sepsis and some neurological disorders and that he may not make it. Thats when I broke down I had waited and waited for him to be here and then to be told I may not have him for much longer was devastating. They ran more spinal taps, EEG and EKG and after about 5 days of him being there we learned he just had an infection in his lungs and he would be just fine. My boy was going to make it. And on day 10 in the NICU we finally got to take our little boy home.

Seeing my baby in the NICU for the 1st time

So many wires hooked up to my baby

Holding his bottle for the first time at 4 days old

We would soon learn that his homecoming would be short lived. At 7 weeks old he was running a really high fever, could not keep any milk down and cried non stop. Not knowing what to do I called my pediatrician and she stated to take him straight to the ER. Where we soon learned he had meningitis and was quickly transported by ambulance to a bigger hospital with a PICU. We were put in an isolation room for a few days and after a few days of antibiotics we were able to come out of isolation and into a normal room. After being there for several days we finally got to take our little boy home again. By now we were so afraid of him getting something else we wanted no one to touch our precious boy.

His second visit to the ICU

Don't think Aidan's journey is done just yet at his 1 year check up we learn he has two inguinal hernias and had to have surgery. At 2 we find out he had complication from his circumcision and had to have surgery on his man parts. And at 3 after 6 severe ear infections and chronic bronchitis he had his tonsils and adnoids removed. Phewwww this kid gave me grey hair before I turned 30. All in all his is the best gift we could of ever asked for and thank God everyday him. He is now 5, growing like a weed, loves his xbox and torchering his little sister.

Surgery #1

Surgery #2

Pictures from Surgery #3 are missing there on my computer in one of my 1000 files.

So my son I want you to know you I love you more and more each day and I'm so happy of the boy you have become. I can't wait to see what the next 5 years bring.

Thanksgiving Gandy Style

2010-11-29T20:06:00.001-08:00

Well another holiday has come and gone. Wow time is sure flying by pretty fast these days. And with one holiday down that means another one is just around corner. This year my in laws were hosting Thanksgiving at there house and they were making turkey, ham and all the sides. I felt bad that they were doing all the cooking so I decided to whip up some things to bring as well. First was my mom's recipe of cheesy mash potatoes. Oh my let me tell you these potatoes are to die for so good I love them. Needless to say I ate two servings of them on turkey day. Next I made pigs in a blanket, apple crisp and pumpkin cream pie a recipe I found on www.thepioneerwoman.com. That pumpkin cream pie was delish. I will be making that every year from now on. It was a big hit at the party.

Making the crust

More than half eaten product...success

After we all stuffed our tummies with all the yummy goodness. We hung around by the fireplace talked about old times, played root beer pong which I've discovered I'm pretty good at. Made it in the cup while carry my daughter. How's that for multitasking. But most of all I was missing all of my family back in New Jersey. Hopefully next year I will be able to spend it with them. Here are some pics from our gobble gobble turkey party. Now to work off all the food I ate this weekend.

Hubby and I

Root beer Pong I rocked lol

Daddy and his mini me

Me and my mini me

My two little rascals how I love them so much.

Monkey, Snakes, and a Pumpkin Patch Oh My!!!

2010-10-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago my best friend and I took our little rugrats to the pumpkin patch. When I arrived at my friends house I realized we were also bringing her two nieces, which brought our rugrat head count to 6. Wow were we out number by the little people 3 to 1. But the more the merrier and all they kids adore each other so this should be fun.

I took a pic of them after we arrived just in case we lost one, we knew what they were wearing.

Crystal and I wanted to go straight to pumpkin picking but our kids were easily distracted by all of the animals. So we decided to head over to the petting zoo and pony rides. First up pony rides.

While my son was waiting in line for the pony rides he noticed there was a man holding snakes next to us. I was not amused and kept telling Aidan don't even think about it you know Mommy is afraid of snakes. Well he wasn't buying it he wanted to go and touch those snakes. So I finally gave in and after a nice pony ride my son paid a dollar and went into the snake pit. And no I did not join him he was on his own at this point lol.

This damn Monitor scared the crap out of me when I was trying to take a picture of Aidan holding the snake.

The snake man tried to tell me the monitor is like his dog. I beg to differ lol

Ewwww it's the momma snake

Tell me why my son has a snake around his neck. Oh the joys of having a boy.

Finally the reptile torture was over, I was very happy and so were all the girls. They were all huddled together screaming in the corner. Poor Aidan was the only boy in the group. Next up was the petting zoo which had cute little fuzzy animals and a little monkey that danced and shook your hand for a dollar.

This little monkey reminds me of Pippi Longstockings

Ashlyn already made friends with the goats.

My poor BF and some of the girls wanted nothing to do with the furry friends.

Finally after petting, riding and visiting all of these wonderful animals we were so exhausted and had no desire to actually pick a pumpkin. So we cheated a little and went to the area where all the nice pumpkins were sitting and waiting for someone to take them home. All in all we had a great time even with people staring at us like we were nuts to take so many kids. We came with six kids and left with six kids, 8 pumpkins and memories to last forever.

My two beautiful babies.

Of course Aidan had to be silly in this picture. I think he was going crazy with all the females

He found his pumpkin

The whole gang with all there pumpkin finds.

Our family trip to NYC/Jersey/D.C. Part 1

2010-10-04T19:31:00.000-07:00

This past week we went to visit my folks in Jersey. We try to make it out there at least once or twice a year. Having parents that live on the east coast is a great benefit. There 5 mins away from Manhattan where some the greatest shopping and amazing restaurants can be found. Then there's Jersey (aka Joisey) where you can GTL it up with Jersey Shore kids and throw a good smack down with the RHONJ ladies LOL. Just kidding to all you Jersey folks out there. But Jersey is pretty amazing too my parents live in a great area and have some awesome neighbors that have become family to them.

On this trip back east my husband did not want to do the Manhattan shopping rendezvous we drag him and my poor dad on. He wanted to visit and do things we have never done before. So we decided Washington D.C. is a great place to check out. After a 3.5 hour ride we were finally there. We got in late at night so decided to get some sleep so we can get up early and start exploring. Now if only my kids thought that was a great idea, but since they napped on the way out there they were wired beyond belief. Yay for me =( finally by 2 am they feel asleep and then by 8 am my mother's lovely alarm clock went off. We only had a day and half in DC so we needed to get up to make the best of it.

First stop was the Arlington Cemetery. We bought tickets for the tour around the cemetery. We visited the Kennedy Eternal Flame, Tombs of the unknown soldiers where they have the change of arms ceremony. This ceremony is done every 30 mins, 7 days a week rain, snow or shine. It really is an amazing show to watch and great respect to those who have lost there life fighting for our freedom. Last stop on the tour was Lee's house. Here are some pics from our tour.

My two munchkins and I

Taking cover from the rain

Change of Arms ceremony

My hubby was seriously like a kid in a candy store he loved D.C. so much

Don't the look so studious studying the map

Next up was the Smithsonian. Now I thought the Smithsonian was one big museum little did I know there were like 10 different ones. So first up was the Natural History Museum and then my hubby and sons fave Air & Space Museum. That's about all we got to before we were starving and headed out the Georgetown for some great food. But before we went out to eat I need to find DC Cupcakes since I love watching there show I needed to try there cupcakes. And if you know me you know I'm a cupcake fanatic. Of course I got my favorite red velvet and have to say it was pretty amazing, not as good as my Sprinkles Cupcakes but it's pretty close. Tomorrow I will blog more about our trip and about my daughter's poopy situation in Bloomingdale's.

My little pilot

My little family at the Smithsonian Garden

These two are always entertaining

Wordless Wednesday!!

2010-09-08T16:45:00.000-07:00

My Little Diva

The Pocket Protectors to the Rescue

2010-03-21T22:42:00.000-07:00

Well folks I did it I ran my first race ever, and my body is asking "what the heck were you thinking". The Great Urban race was absolutely so much fun and amazing. It's a great way for couples, family and friends to bond. You really learn that you have to work together in order to succeed. At the beginning of the race I was full of stamina and excitement I was ready to go and find clue after clue. Then about 1 hour into the race my asthma started acting up and my body was giving up, I had no clue how I was going to finish this race. But my sisters constant support (and yelling) kept me going. I knew I had to finish, I teach my kids never to give up and I had to do the same.

For those of you who do not know what the Great Urban Race is, its pretty much a scavenger hunt between downtown L.A and West Hollywood. You are not allowed to get a taxi, ride a bike, roller skate or hitch a ride from anyone, you have to use your own two feet or public transportation i.e bus or subway. You have 12 clues that you must figure out within 5 hours the team with the shortest time wins. Our first clue we tried to complete our tic tac toe which was pretty much finding people with certain clothes, hair do's, or posters. Some were easier than others and some people were down right rude and refused to take pictures with you because they were scared there wife would see this pics and wonder why he was in LA. Well hello wanna be Tiger Woods don't lie to your wife idiot. Ok I got off course a little then we had to donate either 2 pairs of new socks or 3 toothbrushes to a shelter that was set up on our course. Well thank goodness I had bought some extra socks at Target the night before and didn't have to run around town finding a store that sold these items. So that was a score for our team. Then we found a nice group of gentlemen with ties to take a pic with us. As you can see this race will take you way out of your comfort zone. Then we hopped on the subway to WEHO and finshed 4 clues there.

We we're making good time until we got wrong directions a few times which cut into 30 mins of our time. After that back to Downtown LA we went heading to the Staples Center, PAWS, Nokia Place and finding some mysterious statue that no one has ever seen before. Which was up a pretty steep hill and at this point I was really done I can feel my feet we're wet which I knew was blood in my shoes and I just wanted to sit down and cry I was in so much pain. But we were almost there and I couldn't give up and we did it in 3 hours and 50 mins. I was finally done I did it. I might of had 2 bloody toes, a rash down my leg and a pretty good bruise but I finished. I know next year that I will be in better shape and get a decent pair of running shoes.

Here's some of pics from the race.

Life is too short....

2010-02-28T23:15:00.000-08:00

Well it's been awhile since I've blogged, I went from working 6 days a week and having no time to blog to being laid off and having all the time in the world but too lost to blog. And what I mean by being too lost is that when you go from being in a routine everyday of going to work, coming home making dinner, getting the kids off to bed and the husband out the door to work and when one of those elements is taken away you become lost. The first two weeks I didn't know what to do with all the extra time I had in the day and I started to become somewhat depressed and wished I was back at work. Some of you are thinking you should be happy your at home with your kids and should being spending all your time with them. Don't get me wrong I was loving every extra moment with my kids, but then you start to think all the extra money from your paychecks you were receiving to pay bills and put food on the table will no longer be coming in you go into panic mode. How will we survive was the big question. My husband is the ultimate optimist, saying we will just have to spend less, cut down on things that were luxuries to us and not to worry. On the hand I'm the ultimate pessimist always worrying and stressing on what will happen. (opposites really do attract, we kind of balance each other out)

So here we are going on week 4 of being laid off and I've come to term with things and enjoying my moments with my kids. I get to be there to make breakfast, lunch and dinner for them, we go to the park, I even to get to visit friends and have play dates which I never was able to do before since I was working all the time. As I see it this was sort of a blessing in disguise, since my grandmother (Oma) can also have time to relax since she was the one watching my kids everyday. And it's not a easy task for a 78 year old lady to keep up with a 4 year old and a 2 year old. But she has managed to watch kids for the last 18 years and I think it is what keeps her going everyday. But now it is her turn to relax, visit her friends and go to her favorite place the casino.

Now that brings me to why I titled this blog "Life is too short". A few months ago I stumbled upon a blog called http://laylagrace.org After reading the stories of this beautiful little girl, I became so touch and admired by this family. Layla is losing her battle to Stage 4 Neuroblastoma. I started to cry as I read each blog post and wondered why God does such things to children. I can only imagine what these parents are going through to have to watch there child pass away right before there eyes. Everyday I think about this little girl and her family and how incredibly strong they are to share there journey with the world. After reading there stories I don't take anything for granted anymore. I make sure to kiss my kids 10x more each day, hug them tighter and know that everyday they are blessing to my husband and I. I want to thank Layla and her family for touching my life and making me stop and think that life is too short and we never know when our journey here will end. That we should take nothing for granted, spend less time in front of our computers and TV's and more time living our lives with our family and friends. Those are memories you will cherish forever.

Now that it is way pass my bed time I'm off to sleepy land and before I do I'm going to give my kids one last kiss good night. Before I go here is some pictures of what we have been up to the past few months.

Disneyland with the Tombs Family

New Years Day with family and great friends.

Ashlyn's 2nd Birthday Piggy Style

Christmas 2009

Aidan's 4th Birthday...vrrroooom Race Car style.

Turkey Dinner and some Paranormal Activity

2009-11-30T19:42:00.000-08:00

Well Thanksgiving came and went..wow is time sure flying fast these day. It's exactly 24 days til Christmas are all of you ready, because Im sure not. I think I really need to sit down and create a list of everyone I need to buy for and what on earth to get them. Then on top of all that I have 2 kids birthdays to plan. Aidan's happens to be 2 weeks before Christmas and Ashlyn's is 2 weeks after, can you tell we did not plan to well the birth of our babies. But that's ok because we have decided even though there birthdays fall so close to Christmas they will still have there own special day. Ok now that I totally detoured off topic. So 2 days before Thanksgiving my hubby and I decided that we were going to hold Thanksgiving dinner at our house, since there had been some unforseen events happen. We did not want my MIL to stress about Turkey dinner on top of everything else she had on her plate. So needless to say I was a total stress bucket, I have never cooked a darn Thanksgiving dinner in my entire life. WTH was I thinking when I agreed to this, someone surely must of spiked my drink. So the day before Thanksgiving Im sitting at work thinking about what side dishes and appetizers to make when it dawns on me how the heck do you clean a turkey. First thing that comes to my mind was soap and water of course that will clean the turkey for sure. Well my mexican mommies at work informed that this is not how we clean a turkey and thank God for them they came to my rescue and gave me step by step directions. And even when I couldn't do it all by myself Alba came to help me clean it out and season it the night before..oh how I love those ladies. Now to backtrack a bit when I was washing the turkey I saw a long meaty thing inside its cavity I pulled out and Aidan was like mortified by this. He was like mom what is that..I responded son it the neck of the turkey. I should of never said that, because then he proceeded to tell me I killed the turkey and I need to bring him back to life. He was very upset so I finally sent him upstairs with his dad who was also disgusted by this whole process.

So Thanksgiving morning I got up pretty early and started to prep everything, and boy was that a task with a sick 1 year old needing you to hold her while you peel and mash potatoes. At that moment I was so ready for my Oma to come home, she has been away visiting my mom in New York/New Jersey for a week. So needless to say I made it through all of that and the in laws showed up and my MIL helped me with the Sweet Potatoes and Green Bean Casserole. Finally it was time my turkey was ready and I was so so nervous that it wasn't going to taste good or worst yet not be cooked all the way thru. But low and behold it was perfect, it was really juicy and the meat was falling off the bone. I was so estatic I made my first Turkey dinner ever. Yes mom you would be proud and thanks for all your help via the telephone.

Later that evening we decided since we have a viewers copy of Paranormal activity that we would all watch it. Wow was that a bad idea, especially since my hubby had to work that night and I was going to be home alone with the kids all night. So I pretty much did not sleep very well that night every little noise I thought the demon was entering my house trying to get us. LOL

Next up is Aidan's 4th birthday party this weekend. Its race car themed and he is so excited. The place that made my wedding cake is making his race car themed cake and I can't wait to see what it's going to look like. I do have to say having a race car party was a tricky one and thank goodness for internet shopping, I found everything I needed even down to the plates. Tomorrow Im off to find a pinata wish me luck.

The turkey is done. Gooble Gooble

All the side dishes

Turkey is carved anf ready to eat

My cute lil family except my children were not so happy to take a pic

All of The Gandy's

The Scout and Lil Red Riding Hood

2009-11-07T23:18:00.000-08:00

Well Halloween was a much anticipated holiday in our house. Aidan was so very anxious to put on his costume. He like I mentioned earlier was going to be The Scout from Team Fortress 2, and did it take me awhile to find everything for his outfit. I went to several different stores before heading to a Army Surplus store in Hollywood. That place was a one stop shop, thank goodness. They had everything we needed to make him his favorite character. Then there's my lil Ashlyn, oh she was the sweetest lil red riding hood that I ever saw. My friend Crystal's mom made a beautiful costume for her. She even made her a matching basket, which was perfect for holding her Halloween candy as she walked door to door.

Trick or Treating was great fun, the kids did about a block and half by our house. Ashlyn is still learning not to run away from mommy when we walk together. That girl gives me my daily exercise. She seems to think its quite funny when she runs away. Little does she know she's giving me mini heart attacks. After we trick or treated in our neighborhood we went to my friend Cindi's house for there annual Halloween celebration. It was great fun to see everyone, especially since I don't get out much. We went trick or treating again with the kids there Aidan was pooped out after 2 blocks. Go figure, I remember trick or treating for hours seeing how much candy we could collect. Well he's still little, I'll give him a few years to catch up. LOL

So without further ado here are some Halloween pics.

Wannabe Holly Homemaker

2009-10-20T22:19:00.000-07:00

Yes I admit I'm trying to be a creative momma this year by making my kids costumes. Who the hell was I fooling I can't sew worth crap. So thank goodness my best friends mom can and she is sewing Ashlyn a beautiful Lil Red Riding Costume and I am still putting together Aidan's costume myself. He wants to be the Scout from Team Fortress 2 other wise known to Aidan as the "Catch It". Don't ask where he got that name from cause heck if I know. The darn scout looks like a baseball player to me, but if I even mention he's a baseball player Aidan gets angry. So let's see how he does on Halloween when everyone says "Oh your such a cute little baseball player". I already know my son is going to correct each and every one of them. Poor people if you only known how stubborn my son is.

On another note I took the kids this pass Sunday to the pumpkin patch and they had a blast. We went with the in laws and thank goodness they came, because there's no way I could of done it all by myself. First off I forgot to bring the stroller so carrying Ashlyn was ok at first but my arms were dying by the end of the day. I don't mind her walking around but my children seem to think its funny to run away from mommy, and if Ashlyn sees any kid of animal she's running towards it. That girl is a true animal lover, I've never seen a kid scream with joy every time she's sees a dog or a cat. She's my lil Dr Doolittle. So back to the pumpkin patch the kids went to the petting zoo and had a great time with the billy goats and chickens. We ate yummy roasted corn on the cob covered in butter. So good but sooo not good for my cholesterol or diet.

Here's are some pictures from our lil trip to the pumpkin patch and hopefully next week we will be heading to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween.

Aidan wanting to pay for his own pumpkin

My lil princess always has to carry her Dora purse.
Such a girly girl.

Finally posing for mommy.

My lil animal lover

This right before he asked me if we can take him home. LOL

Boo Hoo I got the Flu

2009-10-13T20:13:00.000-07:00

Well the flu has made a full circle in our household. It all started with the hubby, then the kids and now me. I seem to think I've got it the worse, since I've been sick for over a week now. I finally went to the docs yesterday, he wasn't so happy I waited a week to come see him but with our crazy schedule that was the earliest I could fit it in. He said the flu has been hitting people pretty hard this season and will continue to do so until March. So I'm hoping after the meds he gave me it will start to nip things it the butt, because these headaches and bouts of nausea are horrible. I almost feel like I'm preggers again which I'm NOT lol!!!!

Oh did I forget to mention we went to Disney World a few weeks ago. Oh boy did we have a blast. This year we stayed at The Wilderness Lodge and I'm pretty sure that's where we will be staying from now on. Its absolutely gorgeous and it has everything you need right there in the hotel, from a convenience store to a 4 star restaurant. The pool they have at the resort is perfect, there is a 1ft deep kiddie pool and a big pool with a slide which Aidan really enjoyed. He thought he was such a big boy riding the slide all by himself.

We experienced all 4 parks while we were there and just kind of took it at our pace. This year Aidan decided he wanted to be a bog boy and not have a stroller, which was fine by us until he decided towards the end of the days he was too tired to walk. Oh boy a 3 almost 4 year old sure is mighty heavy to carry from the theme parks back to our resort.

Towards the last couple days of our trip my parents came in to spend some time with there grand babies and the kids were thrilled to see them. Since they have moved to the East Coast we don't get to see each as often as we like. We had a great 2 days with them and they spoiled the munchkins with lots of toys, that we had a hard time fitting into our suitcases coming home. But rest assured all the lovely stuff animals made it safely might have been a little crammed and smushed but they made it. Well its time for me to take my meds and but the kids to bed. I will be blogging again real soon.

NYC/NJ trip and the plane ride from hell

2009-06-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

Well since I have not blogged in a month I'm going to give you small updates everyday of what happened throughout the month of may. This has been a busy much and I always tried to get around to blogging, but by the end of the day I was either too exhausted or my laptop was on the fritz. So first off beginning of the month we went to New York/New Jersey to visit my parents. We had a blast as usual except that it rained for a majority of the time we were there so that wasn't so much fun, but we made the best of it. We went the the Natural Museum of History, ate at the Shake Shack, walked around Soho and Greenwich Village, went to the Tribeca Family Festival, the Hoboken street fair and much much more eating. I gained 5 pounds. On the day we were to leave we all wanted ice cream even though it was cold and rainy so my sister searched yelp.com and found a place called Dollie's Ices in Brooklyn. Oh my was this the best homemade ice cream ever. All of us including the kids had ice cream. (remember this ice cream story)

Then we drive to the airport which wasn't far away, thank god our parents were there to help us because we had way to much luggage and on top of it 2 kids, 2 strollers and 2 car seats. AHHHH what was I thinking bringing so much crap. So finally we get thru security which was not easy since they make everyone take off there shoes including the baby and Aidan was screaming because he had to put his new pirate toy thru the X-ray. After that we decided we needed food for the plane ride so went and got a chicken wrap and some chips. Then as we are walking to the gate we hear final boarding call for Monique Gandy, Aidan Gandy and Michanne Quinney. I look at my sister like did they just call our names over the loud speaker. Holy Sh&# were gonna miss our flight. So if you have ever seen Home Alone the scene in the movie where they are running thru the airport that is us with 2 kids in there strollers. We barely made it. Oh my word I was so embarrassed. Finally we get on the plane and were told after we started taxing that there are more than 35 planes in front of us to take off so it will be about an hour or so. So during this time my darling daughter poops and everyone knows when you are taxing you are not allowed to leave your seat. So I wait awhile til the smell gets so bad I have to call the flight attendant. He comes over and says he has to get permission from the captain. Finally 15 mins later he comes back saying I have permission. So Ashlyn is finally clean and changed Captain comes on the loud speaker saying there are still another 20 or so planes in front of us will be another hour and half. Holy lord are you kidding me. I have 2 antsy kids don't make this plane ride any longer on me.

About 20 mins later still taxing Aidan tell me "Mommy I really have to go poo poo". So I'm like ok, I call over the flight attendant again, tell him my son really has to go the bathroom. He says he can't call the captain again to stop the airplane, but to let him see what he can do. Finally he comes back stating he can take him to the restroom, but before I could say yes Aidan has already bolted to the restroom. Now I'm in shock that some man I don't know is helping my son in the restroom, I keep looking over my seat to see if I need to go help him. Finally the other stewardess comes over and says don't worry he is ok he just has to poop a lot. At this point my sister is in tears laughing, and I'm thinking what else could go wrong. Finally Aidan comes back the male flight attendant tells me he use to be an Au Pair and has wiped many kids butts. Well doesn't that make me feel better, not so much. So finally after being on the ground for 3 hours we finally take off. Aidan is fast asleep at this point and Ashlyn is still awake when my pants get really warm and wet when I realized she has peed thru her diaper. So as I get to the diaper bag to get a diaper to change her I realize she has also pooped and has bad diarrhea. Then within minutes she pukes and luckily I caught it in my hand. Then I'm wondering why is she getting sick and I realize she at ice cream and my lil booger is lactose intolerant. Oh lord what did we do, she is sick to her tummy on an airplane. So I finally change her again and wipe me off I had no extra clothes to change in so I had to sit in my pee and puked soaked clothing. Lord did I feel sorry for the people closest to us. Then Ashlyn finally falls asleep and Michanne and I decide to eat our food. In the middle of eating our food I go to grab my soda and drop it all over my poor sister Isabella Fiore purse. At this moment I think we got to be on the tv showed punked or having a really bad joked played on us. Then as I finally relax I bend over to get my magazine to read and the person in front of me decides to recline her chair at the same time and about knocks me out. And all she did was say sorry (not very nicely mind you) and still left her chair fully reclined. I was so uncomfortable with hardly any room with a sleeping infant on my lap and this lady half in breathing area. Lord did we have bad luck.

Tomorrow I will tell you all about my big "30" birthday!!!

Where have I been

2009-04-26T21:15:00.000-07:00

Let's see between 2 jobs, 2 kids and a household to take care of I've barely had time to breathe. So let's update everyone on what's been happening. Aidan is doing great after having surgery 5 weeks ago. He has recovered very well. Ashlyn is the little princess and has really been giving me a run for my money lately. Boy is she a little dare devil, climbing and standing on anything she can. The other day I caught her on top of the dinner table. I thought I was about to have a heart attack and she absolutely thought in was the funniest thing in the world. Aidan on the other hand is in the I'm going to ask you and everyone around you 20 questions. He walks up to random people now and ask why are you doing that? what's your name?? Oh lord so embarrassing, but so cute at the same time. The other day we were in LA visiting my sister for her birthday and there were two homeless guys walking across the street together holding hands. (Yes I know they were gay lol) My son ask mom why are those 2 boys holding hands, I proceed to tell him oh hunny there just friends. Then after we park the car the two men were sitting at the bus stop and one guy starts dancing in the middle of the street and says "oh shit". Aidan proceeds to yell at the man and says "Oh Shit" is a bad word. Oh lord that's my child. So later that evening we were walking back to our car and the same guy from earlier comes up to my car and looks in my window and starts to put on lipstick. Aidan says "Mommy why is that boy putting on lipstick". I say " Oh Aidan he's just putting on chap stick" he says "Oh no mommy that lipstick and its red, boys don't wear lipstick" Now my face is as bright red as possible, since how do I explain to my 3 year old that this boy wears lipstick. Needless to say it was quite a discussion afterwards, but I don't think he really understood. But hey I did my best.

In a few days I leave to New York/New Jersey to visit my mom and dad, with the kids and my sister. We are all very excited since we maybe see each other 3x a year now. This will be a pretty short trip only 5 days since my work won't give me that much time off. But I'm hoping to go back later in the summer and make it a longer trip.

On another note our family got season passes to Disneyland which I am very stoked about, because you know how much of a Disney fanatic I am. I even got the hubby to get one as well which is pretty amazing since its like pulling teeth to get that man to do anything. He is very much a home body. Our 2 year wedding anniversary and my big "30" birthday are coming up soon. This is the birthday I have been dreading all year. I guess I'm sad to say goodbye to my 20's they went so fast, but I hope my 30s are just as eventful as my 20's. They do say 30's are the new 20's lol.

Well I will post more when I get from New York until then have a great week everyone.

Aidan's surgery

2009-03-18T22:45:00.000-07:00

Well last Tuesday Aidan has his tonsils and adenoids removed. The night before I was kind of scared cause he could not eat or drink anything pass midnight and he always gets up asking for water. Also the doctors told us he probably will lose some weight so let him eat whatever he wants leading up to D-Day. Which is what we did pretty much. He probably thought we nuts telling him he could have M&M 's, chips and ice cream for dinner.

Surgery day went really well. I think I was more nervous than anyone and time could not go by fast enough for the nurse to come and get me to see Aidan in recovery. Before they took him back to the OR the nurse played dress up daddy so Aidan wouldn't be so scared. It was really cute, Brandon had on everything from a gown, cap and even had heart monitors on him. What a good daddy. But when it came time for the nurse to come take him back he was not so happy and started crying that's probably about when I lost it. Finally when I got to see him in recovery he was sleeping like nothing had ever happen. The nurses wanted him to wake up on his own. And oh my when he woke up it was madness. He was in so much pain trying to scream and cry but he couldn't, finally the nurses gave him a shot of Demerol and that seemed to do the trick. By the time he fully woke up and settled down he noticed the nurses put some stickers on his Nintendo ds. OH was he not happy about that, because Aidan doesn't like anything put on his game. LOL

Soon after we left the surgery center Aidan was doing ok he even asked to play G-Mod on daddy's computer. By the time day 3 and 4 came around he was in a lot more pain then we anticipated. He had been throwing up the night before due to the Tylenol with codeine. I had to pretty much give him Tylenol and Motrin every 4-5 hours consistently or he would crouch in a ball in pain. So it is now day 8 still pain but its starting to get a lot better. I also hope to hear his cute little voice again. Right now when he talks its very nasal cause he trying not to use his throat. People told me its like vacation from a child's constants screaming, nagging and yelling when they get there tonsils out. But I don't mind that I just want to hear my lil guys cute little voice again.

Aidan's already yawning and he hasn't even got sedated yet.

Dr. Daddy and Aidan before surgery

Getting ready to watch Bolt before we had to go back.

He was all ready to go. Little did he know what was about to happen.

Finally an update and my sis is on TV

2009-02-27T22:11:00.000-08:00

Well I have been so busy with work I haven't had a chance to blog. So now that I have a few moments since both kids are finally asleep I can update you on the home front. Aidan had his first appointment with the ENT last week. Well we kind of expected that he would have to get ear tubes since he has had a lingering ear infection since last September. The doctor said he wanted to try one more round of a high dosage antibiotics before we undergo surgery. He also stated if we do go the surgery route they will likely take out his tonsils as well since they are very swollen and infected. This was all news to me since I never known he was having a problem with his tonsils to begin with. So this Monday we go back to the ENT to see if this new round of antibiotics worked and if not we are going to schedule surgery. Which makes me sad since I don't want him to have to go thru another surgery again. But on the other hand I don't want my son living in constant pain and have a chance of losing his hearing. On to my little Ashlyn she has been crazy and happy like always. Everyday she amazes with something new she has learned. She really is going to be my child where I have to use every baby proofing item out there. We have had to put latches on all of our drawers and cabinets since she loves to throw everything out of them even if it is breakable. She has now learned she can climb and scales the side of her crib and climbs on anything she can get her hands on. I swear she's a little monkey. But it keeps all of us here at home on our toes for sure.

So this is my first weekend off in awhile and I'm going to finally get my hair done and maybe a mani pedi if our funds allow. Then I'm going to do some spring cleaning on our house and spend some well needed quality time with my kids. With working up to 50 hours a week sometimes I feel like I never get to see them. Oh and be sure to watch my sister on Brothers and Sisters this Sunday at 8pm. I'm so proud of my sister this is her first big gig and I can't wait to see her on the small screen. If you reading this poo I love you and always remember your a brillant actress. And never stop believing in yourself.

A great weekend and a love story

2009-02-16T23:10:00.000-08:00

As much as I thought my dear hubby forgot Valentine's Day he didn't He surprised me yet again in the few years we have been together. The day after Valentine's day he took me to breakfast at our favorite spot Richie's Diner then surprised me and the kids with a trip to Griffith Observatory. Which was amazing I'd been meaning to go there since it reopened a few years ago and even though we had to park almost a mile a way and walk up hill to get there it was worth every minute. The experience of just enjoying the day with my family is worth more to me than anything. It made me realize just how fast the kids are growing up and that we just need to take time to enjoy them a lil more each day. So after our little trip the we went home since I thought my hubby had to work that night and surprised me yet again that he had the night off. So we decided to meet up with some old friends at Yardhouse and have dinner and drinks. Which was a perfect ending to a perfect day even if we did get into some heated debates. LOL Who knew the Octo Mom could make so many people have different opinions and I still say that lady is crazy. So as I sit here writing I'm watching Nights at Rodathane and bawling my eyes out. Yes I know I'm a sucker for love stories but who doesn't want a happy ending. So good night everyone I will try to blog again soon.

I know I know

2009-02-14T18:41:00.000-08:00

I've been slacking lately. Things have been so crazy hectic around here I've hardly had anytime for myself. But I vow that I will start to make more time, because I really feel like all I do is work lately. Which is true because I don't know how long I can keep up these 48-50 work weeks. So anyways today is Valentine's Day I took the kids to get there annual pictures. Well Ashlyn was a princess like always and well Aidan was a beast. Trying to get him to take just one good shot was a major task I was sweating by the end of the photo shoot. So an update on the kids Aidan will be seeing an ENT this week to schedule a surgery to have ear tubes inserted. Ashlyn has been sick on and off for a week so yesterday when we were at the doctors for Aidan I had her checked out. The doctor asked if I ever noticed that she has been wheezing, I really never realized it I guess. So we got send home with a nebulizer machine to help her breathe and she has RSV on top of that. I swear it was bad news friday the 13th yesterday. When we go to Children's Hospital in a week I will let you know more about Aidan and his surgery date. I'm really scared because this is the poor guys 3rd surgery in 3 years. But I know he's a trooper and will recover fast. Well I wish all ofyou out there a Happy Valentines Day and hopes my hubby will be up soon and that he will remember.

Pheww long week.

2009-01-30T22:54:00.000-08:00

Yay it's finally Friday thank goodness. It was a long week and I missed my kids terribly. I'm so use to be home with them through out the day and not leaving to work til 2:30p.m. So that has been hard that I only have a few hours to spend with them a day. And I've also been really sad that I no longer get to pick Aidan up from school anymore. Those were the best parts of my day because he was always so happy to see me and told me about his day at school. But a working mom has gotta do what she has to, to keep a roof over our head. So update on Aidan's chronic ear infection which he has had for about 5 months now. They are going to try one more round of antibiotics and if that does not work they are going to have to do surgery to have ear tubes inserted. Which I'm hoping this antibiotics works because this will be this poor boys 3rd surgery and he's only 3. So all I can do now is hope. On a brighter note the hubby got Saturday off so we are actually going out to dinner and then get together with some friends for game night. I will let you know how that goes since its usually boys against girls and the boys are cheaters and sore losers. LOL Oh and if you know my husband you know he is the worse sore loser in the world. Hunny if your reading this I love you but you really are. Recall our family Thanksgiving 3 years ago. LOL OK off to pay some bills and I will post some recent pics of the kids this week I got some really cute ones recently.

Finally a small light at the end of a dark tunnel.

2009-01-23T19:21:00.000-08:00

Well this past week has been a crazy one. I have been looking for a full time job for a little while now cause my current part time job just isn't making ends meet. So Ive been going on to Career builder and Monster almost every week and have been applying to anything and everything that I believe I'm qualified for. On Wednesday I got a job offer from First American Title in Santa Ana paying a nice amount of money. But after long discussion with the hubby we thought it would not be good for our family, since I would be gone almost 12 hours a day adding in traffic. Then yesterday I was told of another job opportunity with the census but it was only part time so that wasn't going to do. Then out of the blue yesterday my boss at Verizon called me and asked if I wanted a full time position there along with a 3.00 raise. Hallelujah heck yes I do. Man, God must of been hearing my prayers loud and clear. Even though Verizon isn't like working at my old company where I made many friends that are like family to me, I am starting to think of this place like home. I work with a lot of women but they are all really great and hysterical at times. So I'm hoping things keep going the way they are because we've had a rough few years and need a little breather.

Birthday party and a lil surprise

2009-01-17T22:55:00.000-08:00

Well this was a rather long week, I was suppose to work this Saturday but they scheduled too many people so I offered to not work. Heck ya a whole weekend off I'm going to enjoy and relax. Today was my best friends daughters 7th birthday party at Shakey's. Of course I was late cause to be honest trying to get 2 kids out the door by yourself is a long task. But when we got there Aidan had a blast and it was Ashlyn's nap time so she just slept in her stroller. As for my little surprise yesterday in the mail my hubby got a check for a settlement offer from some money that was fraudlently taken from his account long before we were together. So he seems to think that this money should be his since it was from when he was "SINGLE". I told him sorry buddy you have a family now and we have lots of bills to pay. So he eventually gave in but not willingly. It's ok hunny one day you will have some extra money to buy more computer stuff. Not that you don't already have enough. LOL So tomorrow I am off to the in laws to take the kids for a visit and actually get some time to rest, since the in laws are great with entertaining them. I will blog soon but it's a 6 day work week this week so who knows when I will have time.

It will pay off...

2009-01-14T21:41:00.000-08:00

So I am determined these 45-50 hour work weeks are going to pay off soon. Cause lordy I'm dying here. The hubby and I hardly see each other anymore cause his days off and my "day" off are totally different days of the week. I couldn't tell you the last time we went out to dinner or the movies together. Sad I know. My sister today was telling me she and her friends were going bowling. Ahhh there's something I miss doing I use to be on a bowling team a while back and had a lot of fun just getting out the house and hanging out with friends. But now a days I'm lucky if I remember to pay my bills on time or eat that day. I miss those days of just getting out of the house and hanging out with friends or even going to the mall. Ohh do I miss the mall, and wow you can tell by my wardrobe it's a little bit haggard. LOL I'm working two jobs right now just so we can make ends meets and it doesn't seem to be working yet but I'm hoping and praying it will soon. So I tell myself to stay positive and it will all pay off soon. My goal is to get up to date on all my bills and save money to buy a house one day. So lord if your listening I need a lil break and some quality with my hubby soon pleaseeeee.

Cupcake Party for a Princess

2009-01-11T19:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my lil girls 1st birthday party. I have to say after all my craziness and stressing it all came together quite well. I had been sick all week and worked about 45 hours, left me really no time to prep everything for the party before. And when yesterday came I was about as stressed as they get early in the week I found out my mom wasn't going to be flying in so I was a bit sad by that cause it was my babies first birthday. So yesterday morning when I had to get everything ready it was just me and Oma prepping food for 40 people and decorating the house with 2 lil ones constantly needing my attention for one reason or another. Your probably thinking where is my husband well his boss didn't give him the day off so he had to work that night and had to get a few hours of sleep before the party started. So needless to say I was on my own. But once 2pm hit I pretty much had everything in order and ready to go. The house might have not been as sparkling clean as I wanted it but heck who cares it was going to get messed up anyways.

So my Oma made Satay which is pork meat satay in a sauce on a sticks. Which I have to say taste incredible and did those puppies go fast. They were gone as fast as we got them off the BBQ. We also had pasta and manicotti which was a hit as well. Then for dessert we had Sprinkles cupcakes and a strawberry shortcake from cake and art. And one seconds those cupcakes were there and the next they were gone. My lil Ashlyn loved all of the attention she got from everyone and by the end of the night we opened all of her gifts and she was a spoiled lil girl. She got a lot of toys which she really needed since she had a lot of hand me downs from Aidan which he always stole from her stating they were his. Such a lil brat he is. So here are some pics from yesterday I hope you enjoy. And to all of you that came I love you all and thank you for celebrating my daughters 1st birthday with us.

Ashlyn 1 year ago today

2009-01-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures to show everyone my little girl coming into this world. From day one she was a easy going baby. If I can figure out how to upload videos to my computer I will add some footage from that day.

Happy Birthday baby girl

2009-01-02T11:21:00.001-08:00

Well the day has finally come my lil girl has turned "1". For some reason I have been dreading this day cause I still want her to be a baby and also because they hubby says we can't have anymore I wanted to cherish all of those baby moments just a wee bit longer. So since both of us work tonight we took our lil girl out for dinner at cheesecake factory last night. She was so happy when they gave her the bread and banana dish. My lil oinker ate almost all of it and then proceeded to eat mash potatoes from my plate. She is the absolute opposite from her brother whom I can hardly get to eat anything. Most of the time I am bribing him with some sort of dessert to get him to finish his meal. So tonight Im going to get a lil cake and has her dive into it. Her birthday party isn't til next Saturday so I have been busy planning that. It will be a cupcake themed birthday since if you know me I'm addicted to cupcakes in every way possible. And yes if your wondering we will be having Sprinkles Cupcakes. Mmmmm yummy. LOL

Ready for 2009

2008-12-31T10:10:00.000-08:00

Well that has finally come to say goodbye to 2008 and hello to 2009. Thank goodness cause 2008 was a pretty rough one except for the fact our beautiful daughter came into this world. So as my new year resolution I vow to get out debt. Weather that means I have to work 3 jobs to do this I will. So I am looking forward to what the new year may bring I am very excited that my little girl will be turning "1"in a couple days. I can't believe how fast time has gone she is no longer a little baby anymore. She is my walking, talking eating machine. My goodness this little girl is always hungry I can't keep up with her. Well here is looking to a new and exciting 2009 and I wish all of you the best New Years and stay safe.

My poor lil Ni Ni

2008-12-30T13:12:00.000-08:00

Well Aidan has been sick and had a cough off and on for a lil over 6 months now. So yesterday I took him to see Dr. Jabagi for probably the 15th time this year, I think Aidan is her favorite patient. LOL I told her that this cough just doesn't seem to want to go away and that it keeps coming back and I don't know what else to do for the little guy. So she checked out his lung and heard him have one of his many cough attacks and finally diagnosed him with Asthma. Now mommy begins to cry cause I have Asthma and thats the last thing I would want my child to have. Then on top of that he has a really bad ear infections. I swear Aidan is always sick. So I hope now that he has the inhaler it will help him out with his coughing and help him finally get a good nights sleep. Oh and apparently our insurance company doesn't cover the aerochamber for his inhaler and the darn thing cost 80.00 I about had a heart attack in rite aid. LOL

Christmas Photos

2008-12-28T14:17:00.000-08:00

Well I've been meaning to update and put up so new photos I've just been so busy with everything I haven't had time. So I finally got 15 mins to spare. Here they are I hope you enjoy

Ashlyn opening her presents.

Aidan loving his lil Oma.

My Two lil beasties.

The Lil Gandy Family

Their first picture with Santa.

Well I've been meaning to update and put up so new photos I've just been so busy with everything I haven't had time. So I finally got 15 mins to spare. Here they are I hope you enjoy.

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-25T22:04:00.000-08:00

Well what a crazy couple of days it's been I think I have slept a total of 8 hours in 2 days. But I have to say that I have had a really good Christmas being with family and just having good conversation is all I could ask for. My Mom and Dad came into town last Thursday so it was nice to have them here for the holidays. Especially since they have moved to the east coast we hardly get to see each other. So Christmas Eve we went to my Aunt and Uncles house to do the annual dinner and have the kids meet Santa. This is the first year Aidan has really been into Christmas so he was very excited to see Santa and tell him what he wanted for Christmas. But I have to say the funniest moment yesterday was when Aidan and Jayden were sitting on Santa's lap and Santa asked if they have been good boys this year. And Jayden proceeded to tell Santa Aidan is a bad boy and hit me in the head with a bat. LOL I swear three year olds are all about telling the truth. It was a cute little classic moment. Later that evening we went home and had little christmas dinner for us since my dad was leaving at 7 am to go back to New Jersey to spend Christmas with my brother. Christmas morning was absolutely wonderful Aidan was ready to open present after present. Ashlyn is still a little young but had a great time tearing open that paper. I loved just watching those two sit there and open there gifts this is the joy of having children. I have to say those two were very spoiled this year between us and both sets of grandparents they got every toy and every piece clothing out there. I have no clue where I am going to put all of this stuff, I really need get rid of there old toys they don't play with anymore. Well we have been really blessed this Christmas and are looking forward to a fantastic 2009.

A disasterous holiday photo session

2008-12-22T23:50:00.001-08:00

Oh my word what was I thinking taking 2 kids at 8:45 at night to get there picture taken. Wow let me tell you about this fiasco. So the only time picture people had for us was 8:45 p.m so I thought hey that's fine my kids usually don't fall asleep til 10 sometimes so we will just make this one of those late nights. Lord was I wrong we got to Picture People at 8:45 but by the time they finally saw us it was closer to 9:45 and my kids had about had it at this point. Aidan was good to go as soon as we got showing me how he was going to smile for the pictures, well that fantasy lasted at whole 2.2 seconds as soon as the photographer started shooting away. Thank goodness she had patience, because I would of threw in the towel a long time ago if I were her. But she tried to make it fun for Aidan to take pictures and if you know my son he loves toy guns and video games. So she made it in to an interactive photo session of lets hide behind the Christmas tree and try to shoot the monsters. I swear there should of been a camera crew filming us cause it was the most creative way to get shots of him. On the other hand Ashlyn was a complete angel and posed perfect every time. Hey at least I have one child that still likes to take pictures. Well at least until she hits the terrible 2 mark. LOL So here are some of the pics and if you see the red number "1" Aidan is holding that's his pretend gun.

Aidan's Christmas Program

2008-12-20T08:29:00.000-08:00

Well all week I have been anxiously awaiting Aidan's lil christmas program. I thought to myself it can go either way with him either he will be really into it on stage singing the songs or he will cry hysterically. Well it went the unfavorable way of the two he cried well at least for only half of the program until his favorite teacher Mrs. Guthrie calmed him down. But overall it was a very cute event and he really did have fun at the end. But let me tell you everything leading up to getting to this event was complete chaos. I had to work until 4 but didn't get out until 4:30 then I totally forgot to get aidan dress shoes so I went to Target no luck then finally went to Kohl's and scored but then I';' turn around to discover the line oh my word there was like 20 people and 4 registers open. So I stand in line for over 20 minutes to get one item they really should have a 5 items or less line lol. Then I got on the freeway to finally get home to get Aidan and Ashlyn dressed and low and behold there is so much traffic on the 15 that no cars were moving. So I get off and take side streets by this time it is 5:05 and Aidan has to be at the school by 5:45. So I finally get home at 5:15 get the kids dressed get me dressed and were out the door by 5:38 and realize I have no gas. See I'm telling you it was the day from hell then we go to the gas station and all of the pumps are taken. (could it get any worse) Then I finally get Aidan to school by 5:50 pm run him to the back of the stage just before the curtains open thank goodness. So enough of me rambling here are some pictures from last night.

I finally decorated

2008-12-16T21:04:00.000-08:00

Yes folks I finally decorated my house and actually got the hubby to put Christmas lights on the house. For those of you that know my husband you know that to get him to do anything for me is like pulling teeth. Unless it has something to do about one of his computer games I'm pretty much no existent. LOL When I download the pics from my camera tonight I will post them so you can see our beautiful tree we got from Home Depot for 39.00. Which is a real steal for us since last year we got one the same size and spent over 100.00. Geezs those tree farms really know how to rip you off. So I am officially in the Christmas spirit and can't wait to finally do some shopping this weekend. I actually have the weekend off, no working 6 days this week. My parents are coming into town and can't wait to see them. Ever since they moved to New Jersey I only get to see them 3x a year as opposed to when they lived here I practically saw them everyday. Oh and I also received a spoof video from Disney today. For those of you who don't know me really well I am a Disney fanatic and for my 30th birthday I want to be at Disney world celebrating. LOL So here's a little video they sent me I thought it was kinda cute and would be my dream to have everything at Disney named after me.

I need to get in the christmas spirit

2008-12-11T10:56:00.000-08:00

It's December 11th and I have still yet to put up decorations, lights or even get a christmas tree. I really need to get on the ball here. I've just keep pushing it out of my mind because things have been so hard financially this year I'm trying to figure out how to have a christmas. Yes I know it's not just about gifts but when you have lil ones you wanna make sure they get the best christmas possible. So last night I went to storage got all of the decorations and lights out and I am ready to start making our home feel like christmas. Now I just need to beg the hubby to put the lights on the house since knowing my clumbsy butt I would probably fall off the ladder. My mom tells me to stay thinking positive and thats exactly whats I'm intending to do. So Santa if your listening I would like a full time job for christmas and maybe some tickets to see Britney Spears cause my part time job at Verizon just isn't cutting it.

My lil man is "3"

2008-12-09T23:07:00.000-08:00

Well yesterday my lil boy turned 3 years old. I still can't believe he is 3 already where the hell did time go. I swear I look at his baby pictures like it was just yesterday. So on Sunday I decided to have a Aidan and mommy day and visit our favorite place on earth Disneyland. He wanted to do 3 rides while we were there Buzz Lightyear, Autopia and Teacups. Well we did all of them plus we went to California Disney to try the new Toy Story Mania but the line was an hour long. And I know my son he has the attention span of about 2 mins. LOL So we went to Bug's Life area and did all of the kiddie rides in there which he just loved. And yesterday since it was his actual birthday I made him some cupcakes and we sang Happy birthday to him again. He has been a pretty spoiled lil boy this week. But he is worth it all. I am thankful that God has given me my children they are the reason I look forward to another day.

Here he is with his birthday cupcake. Such a Ham!

This is our mommy and Aidan day at Disneyland

This is right before we became a family of "3"

Isn't he so precious.

From a Naughty Girl Party to my lil boys Diego Party

2008-12-06T21:21:00.000-08:00

So last night I went to my friend Jessica's Passion Party and was nominated "The New Hussy Girl". Apparently I guess I've done a bit more than most people in some depts. =) Wouldn't my mother be proud actually she might kill me after reading this. It was a great night with just girls and got to learn alot about some pretty nifty lil toys. For those of you girls that don't wanna do all the work to please your man I have to say GIGi would be your best friend. So now on to today I got up at 6:30 am when the bounce house company called and decided they were going to drop off the bouncer at 7am instead of 12pm. I was like are you kidding me so I thought I might as well get up for the day and get things ready for the party. I had alot of running around to do anyways between taking the Nala to the pet hotel, picking up the balloons and cake and setting everything up at home. By the time the party started I was exhausted but I have to say it is all worth it in the end. People always ask me why do you always have such big birthday parties from Aidan and when I tell them they are either quite shocked or very understanding. And no it's not because we want more gifts for him, seriously we could and he could care less about them. He just loves playing with all of his friends. But 3 years ago when I had Aidan you always think your going to have a healthy baby and are going to have all those experiences you see on TV. Well shortly after Aidan was born he made a very distinctive humming noise which we now know was he was in respiratory distress and when his pediatrician came to check on ordered a bunch of test right away. After they did a chest x ray on him they realized he had lots of fluid in his lungs and was immediately sent to NICU where things proceeded to get worse where he had a seizure. The doctors thought he might have Sepsis and told me his outlook wasn't good and that he may not even survive. So every year I will celebrate my lil boys life. He is and will always be my lil survivor. Now enough of that. Here are some pics on his big day. He begged for a Diego party so we went all out for him.

He was being so nice to Taylor he even shared his candy

with her cause he said she didn't have enough.

Our lil Girl is next here she is saying she's "1"

Why Daddy's shouldn't let there kids watch video games. LOL

2008-12-03T21:50:00.000-08:00

Ok so my darling husband plays this game on his computer called left 4 dead. I have to say it's a pretty creepy game in where like most games you have to kill a dead zombie or monster to win. Well I find out my son is watching daddy play this game and is pretending like we have these monsters living in our house and he has to shoot them. Which is probably not a good things since he goes to a Christain school and there are very against kids pretending to play with guns. But in our defense he was pretending to shoot things a long time ago before he even saw this game. He's just a boy. So today my hubby decided to film my son shooting the monsters around the house and added a lil bit of hollywood effects to the video. I hope you enjoy.

My Sissy is a movie star!!!

2008-12-01T22:28:00.000-08:00

Well today my sister offically got hired on Brothers and Sisters for 2 episodes. As soon as I find out when it airs I will be sure to post so you all can watch her. She has been working really hard the last few years to get to this point and she really deserves it. She is also taping a web episode for a show called PUMA. My lil sissy is my little movie star and if your reading this I am very proud of you and can't wait to see you make it big.

OK I'm officially a Blogger

2008-12-01T10:29:00.000-08:00

Well after reading many family and friends blogs over the months, I have finally decided to starting blogging. I'm not the worlds most creative or best writer but I hope you all enjoy reading my blogs. So the reason I have started this blog is so family and friends can get updates on us and our kids. With our family being so spread out across the united states this will help us keep in touch a lil more.