Easter on April Fools Day

Cameron is being admitted TOMORROW for his second stem cell transplant!  Where has the time gone?  I honestly feel like we just got home from the last transplant, I can't believe that we are going back already. 

So, because we will be in the hospital over Easter, we decided to celebrate a week early.  I know that the boys have no idea what Easter is about and the idea of searching for brightly colored eggs in our back yard, at the crack of dawn, was not something that they would have missed had we decided not to celebrate early; but sometimes it's more about making memories for Frank and I than teaching the boys traditions at their young age.  Needless to say, we all had a blast.  I bought what I thought was a substantial amount of plastic eggs, stuck little candy treats in each one and headed out as soon as it got light, to "hide" the eggs.  Well, apparently my idea of a substantial number of eggs and the boys' idea, differs quite a lot.  I ended up stealing the eggs they had already found out of their baskets and running around like a crazy person, re-hiding them.  The boys could have hunted for their Easter eggs all day if I had let them.  Cameron was so excited by the process that he was screeching with delight each time he spotted an egg.  The next morning, the boys immediately grabbed their still full Easter baskets and ran to the door to go hunting again.  I had to quickly hide a few around the house to distract them.  What an amazing day!

Cameron had his ear tubes (Grommets) put in today to try and help the fluid build up that will most likely occur from the mucositis that he will get again with this round of chemo.  Unfortunately, the platinum based chemotherapy that he has received and will receive again this week, has started to cause some hearing loss of high frequency sounds, and the audiologist is recommending that he gets hearing aids so that his speech development isn't too badly effected.  This is just one of the many side effects that the chemo causes, but I guess it's a small price to pay.

James is doing well and has really enjoyed having Cameron home.  He often reaches over and takes Cameron's hand and they will sit and watch TV holding hands and he loves to rub Cameron's bald head (to be honest, we all do - it's SO smooth).  He finally seems less stressed and anxious, so it breaks my heart that tomorrow I have to take his best friend away from him again, but I'm hopeful that this is the last time that we will be gone for this length of time and soon we can get back to "normal".

Here are a few more photos of the Easter fun...