Time to CELEBRATE!!

Since Lilly just rang the bell, and Emery's 4th Birthday was fast approaching, we decided it was time to CELEBRATE!!! What an exciting day! 

It wouldn't be a party without the mascots. So glad they came and partied with us. And Felix lived up to his deal and wore a DRESS for Emery! She is still very nervous around the mascots, but I promise when they aren't around, she talks about them constantly!!

Lilly sure loves Felix! 

We had snow cones and popcorn and cotton candy and treats galore! Thank you to all who brought goodies to share! YUM!!

Mascot Mischief!

It was a FUN party! Whenever there's water balloons involved, it has to be fun, right? There were a lot of soaked kids.... and mascots too!

Willy snuck up on Lilly and dumped a bucket of water on her head! OOh cold!

Love you Willy!

We love our friends!

Who's faster than a Wolverine??

Lilly got a special bracelet from the mascots that says "She believed she could so she did!" I love that! Very fitting for my brave Lilly!

So grateful for the Mascot Miracles Foundation. They have brought many many smiles to our family the past two and a half years. Thank you is not enough.

Lilly has a special relationship with Michalla's brother Logan. Thank you for coming. It meant the world to her.

Nurses, Princesses, Cancer Moms.... What more could you ask for?

These pictures melt my heart... This is one of our cancer friends Hazel. I loved watching her from afar as she watched a video of Lilly ringing the bell!!! You'll get there Hazel! Next year it'll be YOUR TURN! 

The amazing cakes we received from Icing Smiles. It's an awesome foundation that makes cakes for kids with serious illnesses and their siblings. Emery wanted a Jessie and Bullseye cake, and Lilly wanted an elephant cake - because elephants don't get cancer!

The bakers who provided our cakes! Heather from HeavenLee Kreations made Emery's cake, and Melissa Randolph made Lilly's. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! 

I love my family so much! We have learned and grown so much in the past two and a half years. I wouldn't wish cancer upon anybody, but the people we have met along the way and the experiences we've had have changed our lives for the better. 

Choose to be Happy! That's what we did!

Ring that BELL Lilly!

On June 24th, Lilly had her first follow up at clinic. 

She had to have a blood draw this time because she has no port (yay) and she did great!! No big deal. She also had to have an echocardiogram to see how the chemo has affected her heart.

 On our way back over the bridge, we noticed one of our super heroes... Nurse Nancy! 

Dr. Doug wasn't in the office on Friday, so we got to see Dr. Luke in clinic instead. Luke was Michalla's favorite doctor, so Lilly has grown to love him too. She said, "If I can't see Doug, at least I get to see you!" So grateful for the amazing people that take care of my Lilly up at Primary's. Lilly's blood work looked great, and there is no damage to her heart. AWESOME! 

We got to bring Emery with us to clinic, which she's never done. As you can see, she was happy most of the day, but then the dr came into the room and she slightly panicked. But after there was no more sight of doctors or stethoscopes, she was happy again!

Some of Lilly's nurses came out to sing the "No More Chemo" song to her and she FINALLY got to ring that bell!! I remember when Lilly was first diagnosed and in the hospital a lot. We would hear that bell often and she would always peek her head out the door and listen. She would always ask me, "Mom, when is it MY turn? When do I get to ring the bell?" I would have to tell her that it wasn't for a long long time. I thought we would never get here... But here we are and oh how sweet it is!! 

So so HAPPY for my Lilly! You did it!

Thanks to family that came and supported Lilly on her special day. I will never forget it. 

Millie's Princess Run 2016

It wouldn't be summer without Millie's Princess Run! It'll be an event we will always participate in. It's crazy to think that it's been two years since Lilly was the Princess. She's come so far! 

Princesses galore! I don't think there was one princess that was missing. They were all there! It was heaven for little girls! 

Lilly had her nail booth again, and we stayed busy busy. It's a fun way for Lilly to participate. She's still struggling from the effects of the chemo with really weak legs so she can't run in the kids race. What better way to give back then to do what she loves, paint nails!! 

Brady and Amanda are two of the many behind this AMAZING foundation. They are Millie Flamm's parents and you won't finder more kinder generous people than them. They truly have hearts of gold! 

Ready. Set. Go! The race this year was at Daybreak instead of Sugarhouse Park, and we loved it! We hope it's there again next year!

Some of our favorite mascots from Mascot Miracles Foundation!

Nails. Nails. And more nails!! Babies. Princesses. Fairy Godmothers. Grown Men. Everyone loves to get their nails painted by Lilly! Thanks to our other friends that helped Lilly paint nails too. We couldn't have done it without you!

Lilly was excited to be able to participate in some of the other events that were going on. Last year she was still too weak to even climb through a bounce house. So glad she is getting stronger!

Some of our favorite friends! We love you Mechling Family!

If there is water, Emery will FIND IT! She is a magnet to water and can't not get wet. Good thing it was a nice warm day and she dried off pretty quickly. Love my girlies!

Even though Emery is still afraid of the mascots if they get too close, she had plenty of fun with all the princesses. She's quite the dancer! And she also kept talking her cousins Melanee and Maddy into taking her through the bounce houses! Thanks girls!

I was so proud of Lilly for trying the rock climbing wall. She only got up a little ways, but she did her best! Way to go Lilly! Maybe next year you will be stronger and can climb all the way to the top! 

Prince Max and Princess Lizzy got to ride in style during the race. They lead everybody off and it is a magical moment for them. Wish we would have gotten a better picture of Princess Lizzy, but we didn't. She's riding in the carriage in the green dress. We hope that lots and lots of money was raised to help these deserving families. 

Millie's Run wouldn't be complete without the Alpine Garrison group. Their costumes are AMAZING! It's fun to add them into the mix with all of the princesses! 

What an incredible day! We can't wait for Millie's Run again next year. #BECAUSECANCERISAROYALPAIN

Camp Hobé

What an incredible place. "Camp Hobé is a special summer camp experience designed for children currently being treated for cancer and their siblings. Our mission is to create an atmosphere that enhances self-esteem, fosters independence and friendships, and creates a sense of belonging." Last year Lilly went to Day Camp because she had a broken foot. She was excited and nervous all at the same time to go to Kids Week for 5 days this year! But, she's so glad she did! 

Here's her cabin. She got to room with 8 other girls and 2 counselors and 2 CITs. (counselors in training) She said she got along great with all of them.

One of Lilly's favorite things to do is look for wildlife. We quickly spotted this woodpecker who was yelling at us because we were too close to her babies. Lilly also saw a few deer wander into camp. 

One of Lilly's hopes was that she would get to be in the same cabin as her friend Danica. And it all worked out! Thanks to Danica for making Lilly's camp experience such a positive one! I'm hoping Emery will want to go to Day Camp next year. Lilly also brought a lot of her own food because of her food aversions. But, the cook said Lilly did really well at trying a lot of the foods they had there. I'm so proud of her! Now if only she'd do that at home too... I asked Lilly how she did sleeping at night. She hasn't had a sleepover in the last 2 1/2 years so she was a little worried to be up there without her mom. She said the first night she was sad and teary, but the other nights she was so tired from playing so hard that she went right to sleep! On Facebook, Camp Hobé would occasionally send pictures of the kids and all the fun stuff they did: swimming, yoga, archery, zip line, crafts... But, for whatever reason, Lilly wasn't in any of the pictures!! I was a worried mom most of the week wondering if she was having a miserable time and not participating in any of the activities. I guess she was just not around the person taking pictures because she said she had so much fun! Phew!

Reunited and it feels so good!! Lilly came running down the road to meet us when we picked her up from camp. It filled my heart with joy to see her so happy! Yesterday was also my birthday, and it was the best present ever to get to pick my Lilly up from camp. I missed her a lot! 

The theme of Camp Hobé this year was Hobé Olympic Games. We got to watch each cabin do a cheer and some of the counselors performed a synchronized swimming routine. Fun!

She's dirty. She's exhausted. But she made some great memories and she had FUN! 

Lilly got to know Hazel's sister Emme better while up at camp. Lilly and Emme were in the same cabin. I see a play date in our near future! Cute cute girls!!

On our way home, we decided to drive up and over Butterfield Canyon. It was a beautiful drive!

After Lilly got home it took a lot of convincing (and Tylenol) to get her in the shower because she was so exhausted. Her legs were so so sore. Sounds like we need to start some physical therapy again soon. After her shower she laid on my lap and I played with her hair and she was OUT for the night! What a sweet girl! I love you Lilly! So glad you had such a great time at camp!