The pictures you've been waiting for!

Hello All

Just a quick note today. Finally got the laptop fixed so now able to post pictures again.

Here are the pictures from the Benefit Dinner!

Tonight I ask for your prayers for my cousin Cindy Jemmett her husband Cliff and their whole family. Remember to tell the ones you love that you love them every day! If you take anything away from our journey with Ben I hope it is this, Yesterday has gone, tomorrow is not promised, so live and love today.

I love you all!
Erin

Weekend of Fun!

Ben had another great weekend. He had a fabulous slumber party Friday night with Ms Jessica and a bunch of buddies from school. And then she took them all to Emily's Birthday Party Saturday morning. After the birthday party we went Ben & Shaun's Aunt Julie and Uncle Howard's house to play and have dinner. I must say my 5 nieces run a fabulous beauty parlor if you are in need of a new hairdo! Even Uncle Ben got his hair done, 3 pony tails and several barrettes later he was just as handsome as he can be! Sunday afternoon all the cousins and aunt and uncles came to our house for more playing and of course more food!

Grandma flew in from Phoenix last night, so the boys are very excited about being spoiled. I know Ben has already put in the request to go shopping at his favorite place, The Dollar Store!

We heard from the make a wish people and it sounds like Ben's wish has been granted for a Disney Cruise. He is very excited and we will probably be going in March.

Please keep a couple of our very dear cancer friends in your prayers, Kale and Timmy are both in the hospital. Timmy is trying to get his immune system back up so he can get out of the hospital for his birthday! So extra prayers for Timmy and Kale right now!

Please keep Ben in your prayers, I know from his posts its hard to believe he is "sick". The further away from radiation we get the more and more nervous I get that the tumor will start to regrow. The waiting is impossible! So extra prayers that the tumor forgets how to grow (or falls out completely!) and extra prayers that I have patients for this impossible waiting game.

Love you all

Erin

Having a good week!

Hello Everyone,

Just checking in and letting you know I'm having a good week. I went to the eye doctor today and she said my eye was getting much better so no surgery!! Good news since my mom and I didn't even know they were thinking of surgery!!! I am excited for Friday night - I get to spend the night at Ms Jessica's house (so does Shaun) - my mom and dad are going to a mardi gras ball. I sure hope Shaun doesn't wake us all up at 3am like he did today.

I signed up to be on a soccer team, I start practice the first week 0f February! But I'll miss my first game because I will be at Disney!

I met with the Make-a-wish ladies on Saturday. They were very nice. I told them I wanted a cruise ship - but I think we negotiated down to going on a cruise, we will see what they say. I don't have anywhere to park a cruise ship anyway!

My teacher Ms Jessica was sick today. I sure do miss her when she is gone. I hope she feels better soon.

Okay gotta go help my mom clean the house - Its my job to keep Shaun busy so he doesn't mess stuff up just as mom gets it picked up. Its a VERY difficult job, I should ask for a raise!

Love ya all - thanks for all the messages.

Here is my joke.....

What does the alien loose when he leaves in his his flying saucer?

He bumps his head.

If you get this joke please explain it to my mom she just thinks I'm nuts!

Lil'Ben

Business as usual - and greatful for it!

Ben is doing great. He's at school full time, and loving it. We go to clinic once per week for a few hours and thats it right now. No meds - which is still puzzling. As "sick" as he is shouldn't we be doing something to fix that? But rest assured every doctor in the country says we are doing the right thing. I know because I think I've talked to them ALL. We are looking into getting Ben into a Phase II experimental drug trial at Cincinnati Children's hospital, not sure yet if Ben qualifies or if our doc and theirs recommend it. The nice thing is it sounds like we may be able to do this trial here if we decide to do it and if our oncologist signs on. Not that I wouldn't love to spend several weeks in Ohio in the middle of winter - NOT (sorry Cole Family love to see you just not that cold white stuff, I think its called snow.)

Ben is thrilled about our Disney vacation quickly approaching (Feb 7th). He is super excited his Grandma and Grandpa, his teacher Ms Jessica, his Grammy and Pops, and some of his cousins will be joining us for a few days throughout the week we are there. He asks me to measure him almost every night because he has to grow one more inch to be tall enough to go on some of the "Big kid scary rides". I told him we would get taller shoes and spike his little beanie of hair up if he really wanted to go that bad!

Thanks for all you support, and messages. Ben love reading them (okay I read most of them to him, but give Ms Rita a few more weeks and I'm sure he'll be doing it on his own). Sorry I don't post as often as I used to, but hey no news is good news! Being back at work full time makes it more difficult to find the time.

Thanks for all your love and prayers! I'll have new pictures soon! I promise.

Love ya

Erin

BLOGGING 101

I have been told by many many people that they have no idea how to post a message to Ben. So here goes " Blogging 101" or at least the portion of Blogging 101 I understand. Each time I post an update there is a line underneath in tinny print (some of you may need glasses for this part) that says "Posted by the Sarrat Family / Aunt Mego "time stamp" # comments". If you click on the word "comments" you can see the messages people leave for Ben. Scroll all the way down and there is a Section called "Leave your comment" and a big empty box. Just type your comment in the box and click on the orange publish comment button. You don't have to worry about choosing an identity I don't think, because I don't know exactly how to do that! Hope that helps! If any of you are accomplished bloggers out there, let me know I have questions on how to do "stuff".

Another busy weekend

Hello All

Sorry we haven't updated in a few days. We've had quite a busy weekend. Friday night a bunch of my dads chef buddies got together and had a really nice wine dinner as a fund raiser for me. It was a lot of fun and there were a lot of people there. The food was great, I had chicken nuggets and french fries, but everyone else had fancy food like lamb and red fish. My mom said the fancy food was really good too, but I doubt it was better than my chicken nuggets and fries. I wish I could post a picture of me in my grown up suit, but mom left the camera at Aunt Julie's house so you'll have to wait a day or two for those pics.

Saturday we slept really late because we were all up until midnight on Friday. Then we went to my cousin Brooke's house for her birthday party - it was a lot of fun playing with all of my cousins. In fact it was so much fun we decided to do it again Sunday! So we all went back to Brooke's house today for more cousin pay time.

Now Shaun is taking a nap but I'm going to play with my toys while Dad fixes his truck and my mom does the laundry and cleans up the house.

I'll post some pictures when we get the camera back.

Love ya

Lil'Ben

Another good clinic day

We had another great day at clinic today. Blood values were great and Dr Velez says he looks great too! Next week we just have to go in for an antibiotic inhalation treatment, no blood and no doctor, so it should go quick. Then we don't have anything till Feb 18th. Thats MRI day so keep your fingers crossed. I think 18 is my new lucky number!

So I have to tell you a funny story. At clinic today we had a new med student getting his feet wet. Yes, Ben can apparently smell fear and the torture began. Maybe it was because he was an LSU student. Ben kept purposefully messing up the assessment tests and giggling the hole time. Finally the student doc asks Ben if he thought he could trick him, Ben says "Yes, I can trick you, yesterday I almost tricked my reading teacher Ms Rita and she's way smarter than you so of course I can trick you!" Direct quote! The doctor didn't think it was quite as funny as I did! Needless to say Ben is fine, no weakness he cooperated with Dr Velez no problem. I guess he was just having a little fun !

Hope you got a good laugh - I did.

Love ya
Erin

Back to School

Back to school for Ben today (full time) - he had a great time! Mom went back to work, she had forgotten just how earlier 6am really is!! But it was a great day for everyone. We played with a few friends from the neighborhood, and then ate and went up to bed. Back to our boring old lives - but it was awesome. I am very excited to be boring again!!

Love US

2009 Begins

Friday night we went to the Sugar Bowl!! My teacher Ms Jessica took me, my mom and dad, and two of my buddies from school Patrick & Ethan. Even though Alabama lost (badly) I had an awesome time! We had great seats, we were like 11 rows from the field! I ate so much junk food at the game I actually threw up -way gross but that didn't stop me from cheering my little heart out. Mom cleaned me up and bought me a new shirt and I was ready for the second half!!

Today we spent a lazy day at home. Mom stripped the wall paper boarder off in Shaun and my room and found a really cool dinosaur boarder. So tomorrow we are going shopping for new bedding and dads going to hang a bunch of pictures we got framed and then next weekend we will give my room a coat of fresh paint and it will be all ready. I'll post a picture when its done.

Monday, I go back to school full time and mom goes back to work. I'm so excited! Mom and Dad say I still have to go to clinic every Wednesday and I'll do chemo again in a few weeks, but for now I plan on getting back to school and making sure Ms Jessica gets me ready for Kindergarden next year.

Love ya

Lil'Ben

A Note from Erin:

Please keep our good friends the Barre Family in your prayers. On 12/30/08 heaven got its newest angel ^Carl^. ^Carl Barre^ was 14 and had been battling cancer for 20 months. Though we only knew ^Carl^ for a short time, he and his family have had a profound effect on our lives. ^Carl^ was our neighbor while we were on 4 west at Childrens Hospital. His mother prepared me well for clinic, dealing with doctors, and how to take it one day at a time and make the most out of each day!

We love you ^Carl^ !

Erin

Awesome New Years!

What a great couple of days.
New Years Eve-
I FINISHED radiation! And then I went horse back riding, zip lining, and drove steer with Patrick and his PawPaw. I was a big time Cowboy! Then I went to my friend Ms Carols house and set off fireworks! It was an awesome New Years Eve.

New Years Day-
2009 started out with a bang! I went to the Alabama Football team pep rally today. Those cheerleaders were awesome - and I got to meet Big Al the elephant. I'm still not sure how those guys can throw those pretty girls around like that!

I'm VERY excited for the Sugar Bowl Game tomorrow! GO BAMA! ROLL TIDE!

Hope you like all my pictures!
Love ya
Lil'Ben