The Mayhem of May 2014

After an emotional month of April, there really hasn't been much calmness in our midst.  I guess such is the life with cancer and the emotional roller coaster that we ride.  We had so much going during May, especially when you add in the end of the school year, that it was more non-stop chaos...otherwise known as Mayhem in the Dismuke house!  So here are the highlights of the month, including T-ball, soccer, lacrosse, Preschool fun, Tim Tebow, another Chuck E. Cheese visit, St. Jude fun, and of course water fun!

Ingram has had so much fun playing T-ball again this season.  He's played so many different positions, but his favorite by far is playing catcher.  There must be something extra special about wearing a catcher's suit (even if it's bigger than he is) because he begged to wear it even when it was a thousand degrees outside!  He even "arranged" eating dinner with the coaches and other boys when we went to the same restaurant. 

Big Hit For The Little Man!



Cutest Catcher Ever!!



Crouching Conqueror, Hidden Dragon??



Sitting At The Coaches Table!

From one field to another, Ingram had a ball supporting his girls in all of their ventures.  He loved being at all the different fields and always cheered on Madison, Lindsey, and their friends.  We had regular season soccer and lacrosse games, tournaments for both sports, and an out of town tournament with Madison's soccer team.  Of course, Ingram loved running around and playing tag at every field and always found another kid or two to play with once he was finished his "biggest fan ever" duties!  He also loves to be in the middle of everything that the girls are involved in; I think he's going to take their teenage years to an all new "annoying little brother" level!

Madison's Biggest Lacrosse Fan!



Ingram And Collin...Favorite Soccer Buddies

 

Oh Yeah, This Is How We Roll...
Dinner At 10pm After a Soccer Game Out Of Town And
Ingram's At The Head Of The Table With Madison's Team!



Ingram The Water Gun Collector At Lindsey's Soccer Party!


Due to some last minute schedule changes, Ingram got to be a part of the Family Advisory Council at St. Jude for the day.  We packed up his bag with all sorts of goodies and he set up camp in the corner of a room of about 30 adults.  He watched a little TV, played a few games, drew some pictures, and went to a special luncheon with the committee.  Whoever said all day committee meetings were boring definitely has never been a part of SJCRH!  We also made a visit to SJ to have all of Ingram's Psycho Educational testing completed and we both loved being back in the hospital.  I know that's odd, but we love SJ and love seeing everyone when we're there.  Ingram sailed through 3 and a half hours of one-on-one appointments with three different "testers" (as he calls them).  We ended his day seeing Mrs. Penny and even got a new coloring book!


The Newest Member Of The SJFAC!



Oh Man We Have Missed Mrs. Penny!!


And then there's Preschool...don't be afraid to get a tissue because I cry even thinking about this one!  This is Ingram's final month of Preschool...EVER!  These are Ingram's favorite guys from his time at Preschool; they've been in each others classes every year.  They are all sweet boys but when they're together it's a totally different ballgame.  They sort of feed off of each other and they're such little goofballs and lots of trouble!!  Play dates at the park and restaurants in addition to lots of mischief in the classroom have led to the best year ever in this years class.  This foursome will be split up in four different schools in the Fall, but I feel certain that these boys will find a way to stick together.  Ingram's Spring Fling (think field day for school aged kids but with bouncy houses and snow cones) and Preschool Program (think of all the kids in all the classes on stage together...better yet, imagine a zoo with lots and lots of animals that want to be seen) were so much fun and definitely the best of all of his years.  It definitely has to do with this group of boys!

Harrison, Jacob, Nolan, And Ingram
Oh We Are Going To Miss Seeing These Boys 3 Times A Week!



Ingram Was Having "Remembories" About His Preschool Friends While Daddy Was Tucking
Him In Bed.  They Made Him This Blanket While He Was Recovering From Brain Surgery



Another Big Day...Last Preschool Payment!

Last Preschool Spring Fling



Walking Down The Aisle For His Last Preschool Program!



Perfect Photo Bombing Opportunity From One Of The Best Teachers!!



Can't End Preschool Without One Last "Injury"

Everyone who has heard a small bit of our story about Ingram and St. Jude has likely heard about Tim Tebow and how Craig was "training" Ingram to be a quarterback like Tebow prior to the start of his headaches.  If you've heard the full version, we jokingly refer to it as Daddy's Man Crush on Tebow and somehow it actually got back to Tebow.  Not only did Ingram receive an autographed football, but we also have a voicemail message from Tim Tebow himself!! 



Check It Out...Tim Tebow #15!!

Listening To A Voicemail From Tim Tebow On The Way To Take The Girls To The Airport!!

The end of May was a very exciting and busy time!  The girls began their 2014 Team Ingram fundraising with a trip down to Texas to meet with prospective donors and to hang out with G-Mommy and G-Daddy.  Ingram was more than excited to have us all to himself while the girls were on their business trip!  Ingram loved doing anything and everything he wanted to do and didn't miss his girls at all until we were at the airport waiting to pick them up on the 9th day.  He went to the lake for an afternoon, to Chuck E. Cheese with Daddy, to the park to play tennis, out to eat at his favorite El Mezcal and Chick Fil A, and sooooo much more.

We're pretty sure the girls were too busy to miss any of us between all the fun they were having with G-Mommy, G-Daddy, and Aunt Leigh!  They went to an Astro's game, to Schlitterbahn Waterpark, to a super fun party at church.  They helped with a bridal shower at G-Mommy's house for U.S. Women's Gymnast Natasha Kelley and they made a few trips to get Starbucks, ice cream, and candy!  Of course, the main reason for the trip was to meet with the CEO John Chisholm of Flotek Industries and with the CEO Paul Kruse of Blue Bell Ice Cream!  And by all accounts, the business meetings went quite well with Blue Bell very excited about partnering with the girls to help meet their fundraising goals AND with Flotek matching dollar for dollar the next $25,000 the girls raise!!!  What a huge success for two sisters who are only 10 and 12 years old!  So let the official Team Ingram St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend begin!! 

If you would like to join in being part of the beginning of their fundraising, please follow this link www.heroes.stjude.org/madisondismuke and make a donation of any size to help us get that matching donation.  Also if you would like to be a part of Team Ingram and participate in the SJMMW, follow this link www.stjudemarathon.org  to sign up for one of the races as a Hero and be a part of Team Ingram!

The Boys Sending Off The Girls (Flying Solo) To Texas!

Watch Out Texas...They're Here!



Ingram And Beau And Their New "Bed" For The Week!
Ingram Wanted It To Be Just Like His Bed During Treatment And The Funny Thing
Is That Beau Did The Same Thing Back Then Too.

 

Madison And Natasha At Her Wedding Shower Saturday Morning In Texas



The Girls Helping Serve At Natasha's Shower With Aunt Leigh And Bertha

Yeah Baby...It's Good To Be Back!

 

 

Ingram Decided He Was Scared To Knee Board Without His Girls With Him This Trip.  This Clip Is AFTER Be Promised He Wouldn't Scream And Cry To Get Off But BEFORE He Remembered How Much He Loved To Knee Board.  He Stuck To It And Gave Us The "Thumbs Up" And Lots Of Tricks Until We Finally Made Him Get Back In The Boat At The End Of The Day.



Woohoo!! He's Back In The Saddle Again!

Speed...I Need Speed!
Ingram Loves Driving The Boat FAST!

And The Girls Are Having Their Own Fun With Light Saber Wars!

Yes, The Girls Are At The Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory!
And They're Not Just Eating Ice Cream Either,
Fundraising 2014 Has Begun!

 

4 Team Ingram Members On A Fundraising Adventure, But G-Mommy And Mrs. Debbie
Were Not Allowed Into The Meeting. The Girls Wanted To Do It On Their Own.



Ingram Figured Since The Girls Were At Blue Bell Eating Ice Cream,
He Needed To Eat Some Too. But I Bet The Girls Didn't Put Fries On Theirs!

Ingram Practicing For The FESJC (Because He Thinks He's Playing Too)!

Even Practicing In The Pouring Rain With Daddy And Mr. Bryce!

Ingram's New Pokemon Toy From Mr. Bryce And Mrs. Stephanie From
An After Dinner Run To Target And Gracie Blue!



The Girls With The CEO Of Flotek Industries, John Chisholm



A Little Reward Lunch From G-Mommy After A Successful Fundraising Meeting
With Mr. Chisholm And His Flotek Team!

Looks Like We Have Another Independent Thinker In Our House!
He Created This Little Contraption All By Himself And Without An Instruction Book!



Helping Clean Up The Tree Limbs For Daddy After Playing With His Lego's!

Look Who Made An Appearance At A FESJC Party While They Were In Texas??
 

Uh, I'm Not Quite Sure How This Happened,
But It Has Aunt Leigh's Influence Written All Over It!

Now This One, I Totally Blame On G-Mommy!

 

The Girls With Javier Bracamonte At The Houston Astros' National Civil Rights Game!
Of Course Javier Is Standing (In Between The Girls) Down In The Bullpen,
But Lindsey Is Holding The Ball He Signed For Them!




After 10 Days, We're Ready For These Two To Get Home!

Working On "Patience Is A Virtue" Is A Real Hard Thing To Do!



Apparently They Were Ready To See Us Too!!

Yep, Our World Is Back To Chaos...And It's Awesome!

Please continue to keep our family and all the other family battling Childhood Cancer in your prayers.  We hear both good news and bad news from other cancer families on a daily basis and we know they all would appreciate any extra prayers.  We are so grateful to God for bringing us this far in Ingram's journey and ask for prayers for peace leading up to Ingram's MRI on Tuesday June 24th, and of course for clear scans.  We will also be talking with our Doctors about some side effects that we have been noticing that are most likely from all the effects of surgery and treatment that make us a little nervous.  We're also awaiting all of Ingram's Educational Testing results so that we are all a little more prepared for our new Kindergartner this Fall. 

Once again, thank you for all your prayers and support!