3 YEARS!

October 24th is a special day in the Nygard household; it is a day of celebration and gratitude. It is a time to celebrate life, celebrate Eric's health, celebrate what we have learned, and celebrate blessings and miracles.

Today marks the three year anniversary of a day when Eric had an appointment with a urologist, while I was at work. Never in a million years did I imagine the outcome of this appointment. I was waiting for Eric to pick me up from work, so I decided to give him a call. He had just left the doctor's office, and he was on his way to pick me up, but he sounded different. I asked him how the appointment went, and he simply said that it would be better if we talked about it when he picked me up. His response made me anxious and worried, and I had the craziest ideas run through my mind, but cancer was something that didn't even cross my mind. Eric picked me up and as we were pulling out of the parking lot, he told me he had cancer. I instantly broke down in an uncontrollable cry (i really am not a big cryer). We had no idea how serious things were. We didn't know how far the cancer had spread, or if he'd need chemo or radiation. All we knew was that Eric had cancer, and the doctor said it was essential that he have surgery as soon as possible. That was one of the longest, hardest, and most emotionally challenging nights of my life.

When Eric was diagnosed, it changed me. I had a different attitude and outlook. Instantly, I saw things from a different view. Little things that I previously thought were a big deal, just didn't seem to matter anymore, and some things that I would have overlooked became increasingly important. I looked at people different – I had a different love, appreciation, understanding, and concern for people. When a person starts dealing with death, life takes on different meaning. I wish I could maintain those feelings and perspectives always.

That is why I like to celebrate today. I want to always remember how I felt and how fragile life can be. The event that occurred three years ago was completely life changing, and it taught me a lot. Sometimes, I feel as though I have lost the perspective that I gained on that wild day, and I don’t want to lose that. Celebrating is my way to help me remember.

I am so grateful for Eric and the strength that he has. Eric inspires me. I appreciate that life's challenges have allowed us to look at our life differently. I appreciate that God has blessed us with this opportunity to improve.

I was looking through some of the stuff we have from the time Eric was diagnosed, and I found a tv clip that was done on him. I still get emotional watching it, even though I hate seeing myself talk.

And this is my favorite newspaper article they did about Eric.

It is crazy to me to see what has happened in our life in the 3 years since Eric was diagnosed. That was the beginning of a whirlwind of blessings, trials, and miracles.

We have been so blessed!

BOO! Tanner's 2!

Tanner turns two today! I can't believe he is already 2. We get to have two 2 year olds for a couple months.

We went to Red Robin to celebrate Tanner's birthday and the picture above was the look on his face the whole time they sang to him. It was fun to go out as a whole family. We don't do that too often.

My mom let Tanner open one of his present this morning and it was a little spider man that sings itsy bitsy spider. Tanner has loved playing with it. He sat with it in his lap with a toy spider for his itsy bitsy spider.

Tanner is such a special boy. He is such a blessing to our family. He is the coolest dancer and especially loves to dance to the song, Clumsy by Fergie. In church he points out everything in the chapel and tells us what they are (flower, clock, light) in a very loud voice.

Picture Time!

I'm going to post mostly pictures this time. The picture above is Tanner at a park. He is such a stud.
The kids all in their pjs. They are so nice!

I took Amy's (my sister) family pictures last night. Her kids are so stinkin' cute.

Aubree is growing up too fast. She is so sweet!

Travis is all over the place and is constantly smiling.

I love how Trav has his hand on Tanner's leg. They are within a couple pounds of each other now.

10 months!

I can't believe Trav is 10 months old today. The last 10 months have gone by soooo fast, but then again, in some ways they have seemed to last forever (if you know what I mean). Some days, I wish Trav would just stay a snuggly, pudgy baby for the rest of his life - I love this age. He is such a funny, sweet boy. He crawls all over and stands up on anything that will support his weight. He follows us up the stairs and says "mama" and "dada". He has recently learned to wave and clap; we can already see his sense of humor peeking through, as he copies what we do (ie: cough, nod our head, say ahhhh). His 23 pounds of girth makes my arm ache and throb, but I can't complain, because he is always happy and smiling. He just started acting really shy around other people. If people look at him and smile or say hi, he will smile and lower his head into his chest or bury his head into my shoulder. It is so cute! Aubs and Tan completely adore him. Tanner crawls around with Trav, and Aubree is always helping with Trav and wanting to hold him. It is so awesome to have these kids so close together. They are such good friends, and we are excited to see that love and friendship grow.


EDIT- So I thought today was the 8th. Pretend I posted this on Wednesday 10/8/08 :)