lollipops, nickelodeon, and thoughts...

Today our family was invited to an event at the Nickelodeon studios hosted by The Lollipop Theater Network. The Lollipop Theater Network is a really cool group that shows movies that are in the movie theaters to children who are hospitalized, isn't that cool?! We were invited to come to the event as a guest through our connection to UCLA, one of the hospitals that Lollipop works with.

The event was amazing...we had found out before hand that Camryn would be buddyed up with the girl duo Savvy & Mandy. There was a bit of a glitch in the connecting with Savvy & Mandy, but once everything got figured out Camryn had a blast! The event had life - size versions of the games Connect Four, Candyland, Jenga...it was so fun! There were also lots of other games for kids to play, which was a hit with Wyatt too.

When we got there Camryn got to have her hair done by the a salon from Beverly Hills...she LOVED every second of it! After the hair was done they did her make-up, complete with yellow eye shadow, Camryn was in heaven!





Here's Camryn trying to win at Candyland...so fun to actually move your life - size gingerbread men.





Here's Jenga...lots of fun when it fell over, not so much fun stacking it again!




Twister anyone?



The Elefun elephant...Camryn loves Elefun!



Wyatt's favorite part of the day? The food...enjoying his smoothie to the fullest!



I believe he was rockin' out to the music...could have been Baby, Baby, Baby by Justin Bieber?!




Camryn with Savvy & Mandy on the Connect Four game...



Decorating cupcakes...yep, Wyatt put on animal cookies, marshmellows, spinkles, gummy bears, fruit loops...fun!




Camryn enjoying the cupcake booth...



Getting ready for her "Life" photo...



Yes, that is Wyatt laying in the blue sand...he absolutely LOVED it! It was awesome sand...nice fun at the Crayola booth.



The end of the day...so thankful for the fun of today for the kids that have struggled so. Camryn shared her buddies with another little cancer girl who is four, it was great how they enjoyed their day. While the girls made bracelets I sat and talked with the little girl's mom...their journey is not like ours, we are not battling the same cancer; but it was refreshing and heartbreaking to listen to their story...




Even in the midst of the fun of the day there is a harsh reality...as Jason said as we drove away, "Now we all go back to the hard, real world..." Oh so true. Talking with the other mom was a nice breath for me, yes at moments I felt like my very thoughts were being spoken by someone else...that we are not alone on this journey, and yet so often we feel like we are. The mom and I exchanged emails and I hope to keep connected to them...it's as if the Lord in the midst of the fun said, "I haven't forgotten how isolated you feel...I haven't forgotten how lonely this journey is. See I have introduced you to someone who is walking in your shoes...now be her friend." I also met another mom who's daughter also is at UCLA in treatment...it was wonderful to talk with her as well...just to know that again we are not alone.

I am thankful for people who give and donate to causes that bring a bit of sunshine to children who are fighting diseases that are heartbreaking and so unfair...

I am thankful for connecting with others and hearing that my heart is not too far off, that this journey is long and hard...

I am thankful for two teen-age girls who could have blown off two little girls with cancer, but they didn't...they made their day.

I am thankful for a little boy who thoroughly enjoyed his day in his own way...I believe a blue sand box might be in his future. :)

I am thankful for a little girl who has endured so much and yet is still just a little six-year-old girl...

I am thankful for a daddy who saw his little girl's unhappy heart and tried to fix it and he did...

Thankful that we were able to have fun, to celebrate and just be for a day...

And for those of you counting...Tuesday marks 11 months post transplant!!!