Congrats to our little athletes!!!

We participated in the Sesame Classic last week and had a GREAT time!!  Angela and Elyse were VERY excited to do their first official one mile run.  The day was quite rainy, but that didn't dampen anyone's spirits!  The girls got ready for the one mile to start.  They took off, Angela running with me, and Elyse running with Scott.  They both ran the entire race.  Angela crossed the finish line in 9 minutes and 17 seconds (66th place out of 296 females in the one mile race) and Elyse crossed at 10 minutes and 30 seconds.  They had soo much fun and now can't wait until their next race - the Dog Days of Summer Kids Triathlon this August. 

Scott and I then ran the 5k race.  Scott crossed the finish line in 22 minutes and came in 6th place in his age group.  I crossed the finish line in 24 minutes and 53 seconds, also came in 6th place in my age group, and was beyond happy because this was the fastest I have EVER run a 5k - woohoo!!

So, it was a great race for all... I will add some pictures when I get back to "my computer" as I have borrowed Scott's for the evening...

Happy 4th Birthday Miss Elyse



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Elyse Morgan Reedell 5.10.07



first family picture

Hard to believe our Miss Elyse is turning 4 years old!  I still remember seeing those chubby little cheeks and jet black hair right after she was born... and the sweet sound of that raspy little voice.  She was such a FANTASTIC baby - slept great, ate great, and then slept some more.  We are soo proud of all she has accomplished and we look forward to see what she will learn next!!  Happy Birthday to our Elysiebug!

Devilman

proud to have finished our first 50 mile race!

Happy to report we didn't see the New Jersey Devil while competing in the New Jersey Devilman Half-Lite Triathlon this past weekend - lol!  It was a GREAT weekend for a race. The water temp was around 65, the air temp was a high of 70 and it the sun was shining brightly.  Perfect race weather.  This race was our LONGEST race so far.  It was just under a mile swim, then a 40 mile bike ride (20 miles of it against the wind... that was tough!), then a 9 mile run.  This distance is half way between an olympic distance and half iron-man triahtlon - so we figured it was the next logical step.  We had both set "goals" for times we would like to finish in, and both did great!!  Scott finished in a  VERY respectible 4 hours and 9 minutes, and I finished in 4 hours and 48 minutes.  I was hoping to finish in 5 hours - so I was VERY happy.  And I found out that I placed 4th in my division - 3 minutes out of third place!  But it was a GREAT experience and we look forward to our next challenge - the Warrior Dash in a few weeks - stay tuned for fun pictures!!

Can't seem to stay away from Fox Chase....

Last thursday (the 5th of May) my mom got out of Fox Chase Hospital and seemed to feel a bit better.  She spent the remainder of the week with us, then went home for the weekend to her house.  The girls spent some time with them and aunt Erin and Mr. Mike over the weekend.  By sunday evening mom wasn't feeling too hot again.  In fact she was feeling downright awful.  By monday morning, we made a call to her doctors at Fox Chase, they sheduled an appointment for monday morning and we were on our way.   We went in for bloodwork, and after a quick evaluation, we were told "your room is ready".  So, she was admitted for dehydration, nausea, and vomiting.  They are stumped by her issues, and are going to do their best to make her feel much better.  We sure hope so!  As always, please keep her in your thoughts and prayers and we will update everyone as more details become available.

Ring that bell - we are outta here!

Ring, Bell, Ring
Loud and Clear!
My treatment is OVER
And I'm Outta Here!

The poem above is written on a plaque with a bell attatched to it symbol the end of treatment for radiation patients. Although the last "official" radiation treatment was friday - mom was not feeling well enough to "ring that bell" and enjoy the applause that comes with it. So, today while we were at Fox Chase, we walked down, rang that bell, and got a HUGE round of applause! Although it was tough, she made it through. Now the recovery period begins. She has about three weeks off, then we'll get another scan to check how the treatment worked on the cancer. We are crossing our fingers that there are good changes... but only time will tell!! Thank you for all of your prayers!

Batter up...

Angela, Elyse, and Boomer

The weather was perfect for a trip to the ballpark.  We headed to Trenton to watch the Thunder play ball.  We got club box seats (so we were VERY close to the field) and the girls had a blast.  And to make it even more fun, it was "pet day" at the park.  There were dogs of all shapes and sizes enjoying a day at the ball park.  Unfortunately the Thunder did lose in extra innings, but it was such a fun time, it didn't matter.  We look forward to seeing another game soon!!

A "mom" update

After almost 6 weeks of treatments, my mom is now all DONE, at least for round #1.  She completed her last radiation treatment (photos and videos of her ringing the bell will be coming) today (4.29.11) and we are pleased she will get a break.  She has had a VERY difficult time with the chemo and radiation together, dealing with all kinds of "GI issues".  She has lost alot of weight, but remains in relatively good spirits.  Yesterday (thursday 4.28.11) she was admitted to the Fox Chase Cancer Center hospital with the hopes of giving her a "tune up".  We are hopeful that she will be able to regain some strength over the next few weeks, until she gets her next "scan" to see how effective these treatments were.  We then will form a "game plan" depending on what the doctors agree upon...  So, only time will tell.  Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers - as she has quite a fight ahead! 

It's Spring, It's Spring - FINALLY

(left to right - Angela, Hannah, Rebecca, Leah, Elyse, and Sarah)

After the winter we had, we could not wait for the grass to green up and the kids to spend ALOT of time outdoors!  Our "playtime" has been limited with all the traveling to and from Fox Chase, but we had a few chances to enjoy the recent nice weather.  And it made it even better since the girls had friends to enjoy it with.   They played with Sarah, Leah, and Rebecca (can't forget baby Hannah!) and loved every second of it!  Yeah for friends and great weather!                                                                                       

Hoppy Easter... a bit late!

We  hope you all had a fantastic easter holiday, filled with family and friends around you at all times.  We had a "low key" easter this year - and it was needed after all the happenings of late.  We started out our day with a trip to a new church (which the girls LOVE and are begging to go back to), then had a light lunch, then mom-mom and pop-pop came over for a nice quiet early easter dinner.  Then the rest of the Schafer crew made their way over for the annual egg hunt and our "dessert time".  It was such a fanastic day spent with the family!!  We hope yours was just as wonderful!

Play Ball

Saturday April 9th was opening day for the Lower Southampton Athletic Association baseball season.  This was our first official year playing t-ball, so this was totally new for us!  Both Angela and Elyse are members of the "pink penguins" team, one of the two all girl t-ball teams.  They got dressed up in their uniforms, and then each team was presented, member by member.  They were soo cute running out onto the field.  Their first game is one friday night, and they can't wait!!

finally spring is here

After a VERY long and cold winter, the weather seems to be changing.  The girls have been soo excited to get outside, without 10 layers on!  So, this past week, they decided it was time to "train" for their kids triathlon (which takes place in August)... so they hopped on their bikes and away they went!!

We are very much looking foward to the upcoming months of fun... between trips to the beach, visits with friends, going to the philadelphia zoo, and of course days at Sesame... we have a fantastic few months ahead of us!

fun with friends

What could be more fun that a day off from school with friends... really nothing!  We were happy to have James and Landon over for a day of fun in the backyard.  The weather was "brisk" but that didn't stop any of them.  They did just about everything possible in the backyard - thank goodness they didn't find the pool - lol!  It was a fun day and we can't wait to get them all together again soon!!

The tooth fairy visited our house...

Angela loses her first tooth 2.15.11

I feel VERY badly for not posting this much sooner... but Angela lost her first tooth on February 15th, 2011.  A few months ago (not kidding) Angela told us "I think I have a loose tooth".  Well, nothing happened, she didn't say anything about it, then she went to school on the 15th, bit into her snack and out it came.  Her teacher (Miss Laughlin) made a big deal of it and helped her write a message on a pink envelope for the tooth fairy.  She was very proud of losing this and was sooo excited about the tooth fairy coming to visit.  As expected, when she woke up in the morning, there was no tooth, but there was a note and a surprise.  The tooth fairy also left a note and a surprise for Elyse... to prevent issues in the morning!  But everyone woke up happy and excited for the next tooth to fall out!!

2 weeks down... only 4 to go!

My mom started chemo and radiation on March 21st for treatment of her pancreatic cancer.  From day one, she has had a tough time with the nasea, fatigue, and just feeling miserable.  We are two weeks in and have four to go.  We have had several meetings with the doctors about medicines that "might" make her feel a bit better. 

Now I ask of you, to please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.  She has a VERY bumpy road ahead, and needs every bit of support from her family and friends.  Many of you have reached out and she appreciates it greatly.   Feel free to e-mail me  (scheib_megan@yahoo.com) for my home address or phone number to be in touch with my mom!

Thanks again, and more updates will follow!

Happy St. Patty's Day (yes, it is a little late!)

So, the girls were decked out in their green and "needed" to wear their silly hats with orange hair - they were cute and made many people smile today!!  Hope you had a GREAT st. Patty's Day!!

Tia, Tua, Asa.... having a great time in Karate class!

(be sure to "pause" the music box - located on the right hand side of the screen - so you can hear the girls doing their karate moves)

The girls have been taking Karate since the beginning of the year and have learned so much.  They love going to class each week and I can't help but smile whenever I see them in their size 000 uniforms!  But they are doing great, and wanted to share a few videos from last night - they did solo demos for the first time.  And by the way, Elyse is the youngest in the entire school - and still keeps up well with the rest of the class!

Getting it all together.... or at least trying to!

So, this is our "last week" of having only 4 people staying in our house.  This sunday my mom will be "moving in" with us (during each week) during her chemo and radiation treatments.  Our office is now "mom-mom's room".  The cats have been warming up the nice and comfy bed.  I'm sure they hoping that it stays right where it is forever...  The girls have been "preparing" all of thier "ideas" for what to do with mom-mom...  She's going to need to go home on weekends to rest up for her weeks here - and maybe not due to the treatments - because of the girls.  But we are going to do our best to keep our chins up, keep smiling, and making the best of each day!!  Keep those prayers coming and we'll keep everyone updated on how our "adventure" is going!!

winter at the beach

We figured we needed some fun famiy time, so off we went to the shore.  We stayed with Aunt Gerry and had a great time.  The girls played with Oliver the cat (he might still be resting up from all of the activity) and loved every second of it.  We made our usual trip to Ocean City.  We collected shells and checked out what washed up on the shore after the many winter storms, cruised the boardwalk, and even watched the "pizza guys" (as Elyse called them) make pizza from our counter seats at Mack n Manco pizza.  We also went to Atlantic City for the evening.  There is always a stop at "It's Sugar"... and we all get to pick out our favorite candies to take home.  We then went up to the third floor of the pier and enjoyed the GREAT view from the adirondack chairs overlooking the ocean.  The girls played in the sand and we got to sit back and relax for a moment or two.  We really do love going to the shore - no matter the season.  And it's always great to get to see Aunt Gerry - thanks for the hospitality and we will be seeing you again soon!!

Prayers needed for my mom!

First of all, I wanted to thank all of you for your prayers and support through these challenging times.  We have a tough road ahead of us, but with you all being there for us, we know we will make it through just fine. 

Here's a little background.  My mom (Linda Scheib) has been a real trooper through the pain and discomfort she's been feeling for months now.  After we got back from Disney (in December) she was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia, which would explain some of the pain she was in.  She was given meds, but they didn't seem to help and actually the pain was getting worse.  She then was set up for a CT scan, which showed she had a mass in her pancreas.  After this news, she and my dad made the trip to Jefferson for an endoscopic ultrasound and biopsy.  After the biopsy came back, it was confirmed, my mom has Stage 3 pancreatic cancer.  The doctors then had to look into if she was a surgical candidate.  At that time she was not due to the size and location. 

So, then we were referred to Fox Chase to talk to them about getting started on chemo and radiation.  The surgeon at Fox Chase then agreed that she was NOT a candidate for surgery, and we then went to meet with a medical oncologist and radiation oncologist.   We were VERY impressed how the doctors treated my mom and how much time they spent explainng what she would be going through.  She will be starting Chemo and Radiation treatments (to be done simultaneously) on March 21st for 6 weeks.  After those 6 weeks, she will be given a "break" for the body to recover and so that the docs can check on how the tumor is reacting to the treatment.  More than likely she will be going on for at least one more chemo cycle.  We are hoping that since she is young and healthy (other than the cancer) that she will do well during treatment.  And since I live closer to Fox Chase and am not working full time, she will be staying with us during treatment.  We are actively setting up her bedroom (thank goodness we bought a house with an extra bedroom or this would have been tough!) so that she can be comfortable during this time. 

So, please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.  We have a tough road ahead of us, but we will do our best to keep her spirits up, and we know the girls will bring a smile to her face every day!  I will also try to keep everyone updated (via the blog) on how everything is going... so keep checking in on us!

I'm attaching a link to the Fox Chase cancer center if you want more info on pancreatic cancer.  http://www.fccc.edu/cancer/types/gastrointestinal/pancreatic.html


Pancreatic Cancer Graphics

up to Clarks Summit we go...

Each winter we try to make a trip to Clarks Summit to visit Aunt Allison and Uncle Bob. We finally had some "free time" and headed up this past weekend. We always have a fantastic time, and this was NO different. The girls LOVED helping make home made pasta, brownies, monkey bread, waffles, and even some freshly squeezed OJ. It was a blast - and we were all sad to go! Thanks for the hospitality and we can't wait to visit again!!!