Ingram the Conqueror

Wednesday April 17th, Not Your Ordinary Wednesday!

Wednesday morning everyone woke up well rested despite getting to bed very late from our soccer games. After the girls headed to school, we headed to St. Jude for Ingram's Speech appointment with Mrs. Angela. Ingram begged to wear his pajamas "like I used to every day;" I guess he remembers leaving the house everyday in his pajamas when he was going through Radiation Treatment and pretty much wearing his pajamas every day for 6 and a half weeks. The funny thing about that is despite having the sleepy medicine everyday for so long, he loved to go to St. Jude...and still does! Right before we got there, Ingram said he was going to ask Mrs. Penny if anything fun was happening today because "she always knows what's going on at St. Jude." And he was right; we found out about a miniature pony named Magic that was going to be there and also about a painting party! After Ingram got a bag of Cheetoh Puff's for his second breakfast, we headed off to his Speech session then to go see Magic. He was so cute and apparently loved Ingram because he kept getting closer to him. Ingram headed to the ABC Wall to make some his own magic and painted a picture of a flower that might turn into SJ official artwork. Speaking of magic, Daddy has been on a business trip in California and sent back some magical news to us...he was staying in Disneyland for his conference and met Daisy Duck! She sent back a special message for Ingram that made his smile! Even though he didn't get to go into the Park, we were a bit jealous of how close he was even if it was just for 24 hours.

Wednesday night, we got to watch the Memphis Grizzlies play the Utah Jazz down at the Fed Ex Forum. When we got downtown, the kids were so excited because there were a ton of bouncy house things for them to jump and play on too. The Grizz Girls (the cheerleaders) were also out taking pictures with lots and lots of guys and it was pretty funny watching the men and boys run over with their cameras. Of course my crew expects me to take too many pictures as usual and went to get their picture taken with some of the Grizz Girls too; I'm pleased to announce that my girls said the Grizz Girls needed more clothes on and that makes me feel good and I know Daddy will really be happy they said that since we're getting closer to the teenage years! Once we were inside, we also spotted the Chick Fil A cow and of course my kids ran to him and gave him huge hugs. All three of the kids had so much fun at the game and loved our seats; I even let Madison and Lindsey go out to get a snack while Ingram stayed and watched the game. Later on in the second half, all three of them had to go to the bathroom and Madison took them by herself. The funny part was that Ingram got in trouble by someone for running in the hallway on the way back to our seats and our rule follower Madison told me right when they got to our seats.

Our trip to the Grizzlies game was even more special because Madison got to go on the court after the game to shoot a free throw. There were a lot of other 4th and 5th graders there doing the same thing from lots of school because they raised money with Jump Rope For Heart during their school jump rope events. Madison would be the first one to say that she's not a basketball player, but she was so excited about being able to get on the court...until Lindsey started the 5 minute countdown, then 2 minutes, then "It's Time!!!" and then she really got nervous! Don't you just love little sisters? Madison was in line with her friend Avery East from Dogwood and they both were so excited. Madison got her shot then ran off the court because she was embarrassed she missed it; but then she said that half of the time the players miss it too and was totally happy about getting to shoot it. We finally left the Forum at 10pm (Sorry teachers!) and made it in the bed by 10:45pm with once again no one having trouble falling asleep!

Ingram Loves His Pajamas...I'd Probably Wear Mine If I Could Too!

Ingram And Magic, The Miniature Pony!

Ingram's Flower With "Love" For The Stem And A Purple Sun!
It's All About Artistic Interpretation Right?

I Think We're All A Little Jealous Of Daddy Right Now!

The Kids With The Grizz Girls

And We Ate Chick Fil A For Dinner On The Way To The Game!

My Happy Crew!

Ingram Had A Blast Cheering For The Grizzlies!

Little Sister Making Big Sister Nervous With The Countdown!

Madison And Avery Were The First Kids Waiting
For Their Shot At The Goal!

"Okay, This Is The Last Picture I'll Make You Take!"

Monday and Tuesday April 15th and 16th, Soccer Overload

Ingram was very excited to not have to go anywhere Monday and decided he was going to stay in his pajamas all day long. After all, he was still tired from his weekend full of fun! As soon as we dropped off the girls at school (almost late), we headed to drop off Beau to be groomed. He must have remembered the last time we left him for a week because he headed to the back of the car and had to be dragged out. Poor Beau is suffering from "post traumatic my family left me here for a week syndrome" but we managed to trick him into the grooming room without him leaving anything on the floor to be cleaned with the mop! We headed home to celebrate our victory with a game of Chutes and Ladders; Ingram even beat me but he was making up his own rules...again. I'm not too sure he's going to be the "rule follower" like Madison. It appears early to make this call, but I think he's going to do life at the best of his own drum. Then again, he's not the typical 4 and a half year old either so I guess that makes sense. Even though he needed one, Ingram decided he did not need to take a nap today so instead we just played the rest of the afternoon while we waited to go pick up Beau.

With it getting hot outside, Ingram decided to change out of his pajamas and into shorts so he could play outside with Beau and the girls afterschool. Ingram AND Beau were both in rare form and both were hyper once they were reunited after the cut. I think getting Beau shaved released a crazy amount of energy and he was running all over the place; of course Ingram tried to keep up, but he was no match for Beau. Ingram did however run to Madison's soccer field to get Daddy and then back to the jogger so that the three of us could run while both the girls practiced. Ingram's head started bobbing and dropping to the sige and we knew it wouldn't take much for him to fall asleep in the jogger. He slept over railroad tracks, potholes, curbs, and the train itself. We even stopped to take a picture of him and Daddy and he didn't even notice when we stopped moving! He woke up after we were sitting back at the fields and turned into the Energizer Bunny after his hour long nap and ran all over the fields kicking the ball and racing us the whole time.

Apparently Ingram still needed to get more rest because he slept till 9am Tuesday and headed in late to his class (that started at 9am). After a great day at school for all of the kids, we headed to the soccer fields for 3 different soccer games. Thankfully Ingram didn't have any T-Ball because he wanted to stay at the girl' games and play. They both had a game at the same time and we stayed at Lindsey's field since Madison had a second game for us to watch. Ingram made a little friend during Lindsey's game and they played together during the whole game. Lindsey and her team played amazing and had some really good teamwork. Lindsey in typical style smiled the whole time she was playing and really beamed when she made a free kick straight into the goal with players all around her. Once Lindsey's game was over, we headed to Madison's field to watch her second game. Her team won the first game, but didn't do so hot during the second game. Although a lot of goals got by Madison, she also saved a bunch while she was in the goal. By the end of the night and after running around for 3 hours, all of the kids were exhausted and had no trouble going to bed. I don't think any of us, including me, moved at all during the night!

Ingram's Smile After We Realized How Much He Had Grown!
We Moved His Button Holes From All The Way In To The Last One On The Row!

My Crazy Boys!
A No Hair Beau With A Head Full Of Hair Ingram!

Didn't I Say Ingram Was Still Exhausted?

"Why Do They Have To Go To School??
I Want Them To Swim With Me!"
Moaned Beau...Because We Can Read His Mind!

Breaking In A New Instructor!

Take One Guess Who Won This...Oh Yeah, Peanut Did!
It Must Be The New Kicks Since She Busted Through The Toe On Her Old Shoes!

Saved This One Too!
The Girls' Got Talent!

"So, You Want To Go Out Sometime?" Ingram Asks While He Leans On The Tree...

"Hey Mom! She Said Yes!"
"Wait, Where Are We Going? You Can't Even Drive!"

"Not This One... This Is My Goal!"

"Go Fetch!"

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday April 12th, 13th, and 14th, A Great Weekend!

Friday was such a beautiful day filled with sunshine and it continued all weekend long! Ingram had a great day at home and was so excited to not have to go anywhere for once. We played with Play-Doh and made all kinds of creations then he got out the Candyland game again. That little stinker started arranging the cards so that he got to the final row of the game while I was still on the first row. I'm not quite sure who's teaching him to cheat, but he's got it down pretty well. He did decide to play the correct way and we played another round before he was ready to move on.

Daddy and G-Daddy went to the Master's in Augusta so it was an all girl (plus Ingram) weekend and we added another set of sisters (Abby and Sarah Acuff) into the mix for the night. Ingram was in girl heaven and went back and forth between the older two and the younger two all night except for bedtime; all four of the girls slept in Madison's room while Ingram got to sleep with me since Daddy was gone! The craziest part of the night was when I agreed with Madison that they could have a Coke. I'm not sure why I agreed because they were "real sugar Cokes from Mexico" and they made my two girls nuts!!! The Acuff girls weren't affected that much because they only drank a little of them while my rascals almost finished their whole bottle. Oh those crazy girls...or really I guess crazy me for letting it happen.

After soccer practice Saturday morning, we made a stop at the library before heading to Ingram's ballgame. They were so excited and had so much fun picking out books. Madison had I think 9 books, Lindsey picked out 3, and if course Ingram had to pick out one like his girls too! The sunshine continued at the ball fields and the girls were so excited to see Ingram play. He was the lead off batter for the game and nailed the second pitch. He ran as fast as he could to first base and then made it around to home plate as each of his teammates hit the ball. Madison was the dugout girl for the game and helped keep the kids in their batting order and made sure no one misplaced their hats, bats, or gloves while Lindsey got to sit with me and of course mags a trip to the Concession stand for a snack!

After the game was over, we played at home with Gabby and Isabelle while Mr. Jay took our pool from icky green to sparkly clean. Apparently all the instructions he gave Craig about the pool weren't passed along to me (unofficial caretaker of the pool) and our water was turning green; so obviously we're blaming Craig for the ickyness! Next the girls got on their bikes and I put Ingram in his seat on my bike and we headed to the park. We had a blast at the park and worked up our appetites for a chocolate ice cream cone dinner from TCBY followed by dessert of chicken and noodles at home. We may have eaten out of order but I'm pretty sure there were no complaints from my crew.

Daddy made it back home from Augusta Sunday just in time to have fun. I took Ingram to his T-Ball practice while Daddy took the girls to soccer practice then once we got back to the house, the real fun started! Since the pool was no longer green and the heater got it up to about 85 degrees, it was time to kick off the pool season; last summer we didn't get to swim until August so all of us have been watching the weather hoping for several days of sunshine. Ingram was the first one in the pool and the first one off the board and the first one to jump off the wall. With his floatie on and his ear plugs in, he was good to go and had no fears of going under water when he jumped off the board. We all spent the rest of the afternoon in the water and even had the Wests come down and swim and cookout too to prolong the weekend a little more before we had to go back to reality with work and school Monday morning.

The great thing about all of the chaos of our fun weekend was that I didn't get all emotional about April 12th 2012 anniversary; it was Ingram's first day at St. Jude. Now on this day last year, I was an emotional wreck because we were coming to grips that Ingram officially had cancer. But this weekend, my emotions were that of thankfulness because of all that our doctors, nurses, and specialist had done to bring us to this point. I honestly don't know what we would have done if LeBonheur and St. Jude weren't both in Memphis. With both hospitals being in our hometown, allowing us to do all of Ingram 's treatment here and involving the girls in his care, and being surrounded by our friends and family while we're fighting for Ingram's life, a very difficult journey was made a little easier. I still am amazed at where we were a year ago compared to where we are now. So many things have changed for us, yet thankfully the most important things stayed the same and even got better...our family, our friends, and our faith in God.

Little Stinker Is Up To His Old Tricks!

My Dinner Dates!
Abby, Lindsey, Ingram, Sarah, And Madison

Even Beau Got To Get In Their Fort!

What Was I Thinking???
Cokes With Real Sugar Straight From Mexico Courtesy Of The Boyd Family!

Look Who Got To Sleep With Mommy!
Mickey Mouse, Ingram And Tiger

This Is The Clip Of Ingram Leading Off The Red Sox At Bat!

They're Both Sporting Their Master's Shirts And
Watching On TV For Daddy And G-Daddy!

Madison's Sweet Surprise From Ms. Jessica, Her First Tri Delta Friend From JMU!

Ingram And Isabelle Always Smiling!

Monkeying Around At The Park!

Apparently The Girls Are Over Taking Pictures For The Day!

This Is A Clip Of Ingram Kicking Off Pool Season!

Wednesday and Thursday April 10th and 11th, Pollen, Rain, And Mud!

Wednesday we cancelled our Speech appointment at St. Jude and opted for a little downtime instead since Ingram has been battling some crazy allergies. I guess chemo and radiation took away Ingram's ability to battle the yellow film that has covered everything in Memphis. We also took advantage of the beautiful day and went running with Mrs. Shanda and Beau. Ingram started out running and so did Beau; I think they were trying to race each other but once Ingram got in the jogger, Beau settled down a little too. Once we were finished, we spent the rest of the day at home and even stayed there the rest of the day! Wednesday is our only day to do nothing after school and we love it! A home cooked meal at the table, Lindsey practicing the guitar, and Madison reading a book completed our night. The funny part about Madison is that she was on the "scary" part of her book and asked Lindsey to sleep with her; of course Lindsey said yes because she loves sleeping in Madison's bed too!

Thankfully during the night and early morning the rain came!! It poured starting around 10pm Wednesday night and didn't stop until about 3pm Thursday. When we got to the car and the yellow layer was gone, we were so excited about the possibility of Ingram's allergies getting better. After a fun day at school for all three of the kids, it got even better! Ingram had swimming lessons and "pinky promised" me that he wasn't going to cry at swimming lessons. He held up his end of the promise and I gave him some Raisinets as a treat. He was soooo proud of himself and told everyone we saw that he was such a big boy! Lindsey got to play at Madison's Ultimate Frisbee party with one of her friends Elizabeth Smith and they were loving the mud; did I mention it rained for about 17 hours straight? Madison was extra excited because Daddy was coming to her Ultimate Party to play in the mud with her! A bunch of other parents were there too and they played along with the rest of the Fifth Graders. All the Dads played against the boys and the Daddies "whooped" the boys (Craig's words) but they "let" the boys win the second game(Craig's words again). The girls played with the Moms but there weren't enough for a whole team so they just mixed in with them. At the end, it was basically a free for all and everyone had a blast with the parents and kids playing against each other!! Ingram loved it and even found a new friend to escape to the playground with too. Before we headed home for the night, we went into the school to see their artwork since it was "Fine Arts Show!" even though all four of them were filthy from all the mud and dirt. Long hot showers were a necessity as soon as we all got home followed by a second night of no soccer and a home cooked meal for everyone.

A year ago on April 10th, I was at The Trolley Stop with a handful of girls who are my dearest friends; they had come to the hospital to "make" me go to lunch with them while Craig took care of Ingram in the hospital room. Craig called while we were eating lunch and told me that we were being discharged from LeBonheur that afternoon and that our paperwork was being sent to St. Jude to get the process started. I remember breaking down into tears because it was even more real that Ingram had cancer, but those girls held me up and prayed for all of us right in the middle of the restaurant's busiest time. We went back to the room and packed Ingram up to be greeted at home by his girls as they were getting off the bus and they were more than excited to have their little brother home and to be able to sleep under the same roof! On April 11th last year, we woke up with Ingram on his little bed beside us after what was the best night's sleep in over a week. It seemed our house was a revolving door with friends and family coming over to check on all of us and make all three of the kids feel special. I know I've said it before, but the way people have surrounded us and prayed for us and lessened our load has enabled us to focus on Ingram and the girls and for that, there aren't enough "thank you's" in the world!

Beau's Position For The Rest Of The Day After His Morning Run!

The First Pinky Promise On The Way To The Pool!

Getting Rewarded For Keeping His Pinky Promise!

Mr. Bozeman's Fifth Grade Ultimate Frisbee Club...And A Few Brave Parents!

Daddy And His Monkey!

And There Was No Holding Back!
F-I-L-T-H-Y!

Lindsey's Flower Vase!

Madison's Madison!
The Best Part Was The Words Written Around It!

Monday and Tuesday April 8th and 9th, All Kind Of Firsts!!

Monday morning we got to take G-Mommy and Uncle Butch to Ingram's favorite donut shop...Gibson's! I think they were very impressed and their donuts and coffee were gone pretty quickly. Uncle Butch had to leave once we made it back to the house, but G-Mommy got to stay till later in the day and made it to the school for lunch with the girls. Ingram and I went to Costco and had a blast talking to the Vitamix guy who was back giving demonstrations; I'm afraid the girls and Daddy aren't going to like all the new stuff I'm going to be making them eat! The girls had both had soccer practice and it was such a gorgeous day that we all went to the fields and took the jogger with us. Ingram ran a little bit then hopped in the buggy as Craig and I ran while the girls practiced; after our run, Ingram went on his own run to the playground where he and Daddy were the only kids at the playground!

When we checked the mail, the PROMISE magazine was in our mailbox and we were soooo excited because Elizabeth Walker had written a story on Ingram and his girls. Obviously, Ingram has been in lots of magazines with his cute little bald head being a part of the Thanks and Giving Campaign, but this is the first time Ingram and the girls have been in a magazine AND had a story written about them. She interviewed us a while back and Ann Margaret came out to the house to take pictures of the kids too; seeing it in print was great and made me cry and laugh all at the same time! The article is also online on the St. Jude website and it even includes an abbreviated video based on the girls video from last summer.

Tuesday was another fun day with a very hectic evening! The fun started at the Dr. Byrd's finally getting the girls eye exams; we're a little behind on getting Lindsey's recheck appointment then remembered it once Madison started complaining about her vision. After a little bit of playtime in the lobby, we headed back to see Dr. Byrd and they were all three in typical form! Why I had all three of them together in a small doctor's office is really the question?? They did great and Ingram even entertained Dr. Byrd while she was examining the girls' eyes. It turns out that Madison failed her vision test and will be the new owner of glasses at some point in the near future (aka as soon as we have time to go to the store). After they were all back at school, I headed home to gear up for our evening of 4 ball games; Ingram had his first T-Ball game and his second T-Ball game along with the girls each having a soccer game...all at the same time!

We made arrangements for the girls on their fields so that we could be at Ingy's first game and it was so much fun! In the first game, Ingram played against a fellow Vining Sparks employee (Chris Goodson) son's team so it was even more fun. Thankfully, I got there late after taking the girls to soccer and missed the Home Plate collision by a boy twice Ingram's size into Ingram. In true mother form and knowing all about Ingram, Katherine Goodson took care of panicking and gasping and getting upset for me and filled me in once I got there! Ingram and Maddox were chatting with each other on the field and seemed to be having a fun time playing T-Ball and playing with the dirt too; I guess they were taking the hint from the Daddy's on the sidelines talking to each other too. I got to see Ingram hit from the "T" a couple times and round the bases a couple times in his game and then they all ran the bases when the game ended. Pops, also know as my dad, was also there and his highlight of the night was when Ingram ran out of the dugout and in front of all the parents just to give his Pops a hug and a kiss. I would say he's just the sweetest thing, but Daddy and I had to ask for our hugs and kisses and I actually don't know if we got them or not!

During the second game, the coaches pitched 3 balls to each player then set up the "T" if they hadn't hit it yet so that was kinda fun too. Ingram hit his first pitch straight in between first and second base and ran his little legs out; lucky for the him, the outs don't count yet since they're just learning how to play and he got to stay on first base and eventually made it to home plate. It's so funny watching this age because at any given moment, half of the team will be playing in the dirt, laying on the ground, or doing cartwheels in the grass!! We ended our night talking with the girls about why we went to Ingram's games instead of theirs tonight and even though they were a little upset with us at first, they were super excited Ingram got to play tonight and can't wait until they get to see him play Saturday. After all, on April 8th and 9th 2012, Ingram was learning to walk all over again in the halls of LeBonheur and trying to reach Easter eggs scattered in his hospital bed. How amazing God has been to us to let Ingram go from taking his first steps after surgery to running to first base, second base, third base, and home plate in one year!

http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=c57cacd77b5dd310VgnVCM100000290115acRCRD&vgnextchannel=fc0b221f1ed7d310VgnVCM100000290115acRCRD

The above is the link to the PROMISE publication story/video that is on the St. Jude website!