Our Mission is Remission

Austin has been home since Monday and has been feeling pretty good. He does struggle with his digestive track and it's hard for him to go to the bathroom sometimes. He has stomach aches a lot and feels crummy sometimes. But with that being said he is doing amazing. I even caught him running around the house yesterday. It feels like a miracle.

Monday we are getting a PET scan, the Doctors call it the 'Remission Evaluation Scan'. In other words we are going to find out if he is in remission or not and this last round of chemo might be his last. Whenever I think about this its been really hard. I'm scared and nervous. And hopeful. When we started this thing they gave us a 50/50 chance. Not great odds. When they found out which specific type of PTLD it was a 60%-70% chance. Still not great odds. At that point I was finally feeling like I could do more research on my own after going through the initial shock, the move, being in survival mode for about 6 weeks. But can I tell you that there is just not a lot out there on PTLD, especially pediatric PTLD? Think of it this way, PTLD happens in 3%-5% of kidney transplants, Boston Children's performs 35-40 pediatric kidney transplants a year. Since only 3-5 people out of a hundred get it Boston Children's could go a whole year without having a case. And there are 4 different types of PTLD each with it's own set of challenges and different treatment plans. We are talking low numbers which does not equal very much data. There is a vast parent library available on the oncology floor. When I asked for help to find info they only had one packet of information that was 5 years old. As I was reading on my own I did find a trend. PTLD comes back in 30-40% of cases, but of those cases that came back almost all went back into remission. It was exciting to read. So I took my findings to the attending and he agreed with my findings. Austin has responded very well to chemo and he has been able to run the full course so far. He is very unusual since he is the first kidney transplant patient they have been able to run a full Burkitts Lymphoma protocol on with Rituximab. They didn't give us great odds at the beginning since they didn't know how well his body would be able to tolerate the given treatment (thank you all for your prayers and good thoughts!). His large tumor melted away after the first course of chemo this increased his odds since he responded so well. I totally get why Doctors do not wish to quantify odds especially when there is not a lot of data to back it up. You don't want to give false hope. But really I was getting tired of hearing 'it's very treatable'. I wanted more and I really wanted to know what the Doctors were thinking. The PTLD specialist Dr. Kimberly Davies came to visit us and I asked her what she thought. While I was peppering her with questions about which complications he had and, what the Overall Survival Rate was for certain types with certain complications a smile touched her lips and she looked at me in concentration. She then went on the say that she thinks that Austin's chances of being Event Free (5 year out look) were about 95%. So now we sit and wait for Monday, crossing our fingers that indeed he will be in remission and that we have beat this thing. I know some of you are thinking, you guys beat it, stop worrying. But with our kid he is outlier in every sense of the word and we are not going to celebrate until they give us the green light and show us the scans. But we will be hopeful and we will rest a little easier knowing the chances are good we will see Austin grow up and do all the things that parents look forward to see their kids doing. And for that we are grateful.

Third Round of Chemo

I haven't written a lot lately because Austin has been doing well after this second round of chemo. No news is good news, right? He has been home since the 2nd of June and the plan is to go in on Monday the 12th to start his 3rd round. They cut back one of his drugs for this last round and they also hyper hydrated him so his mucositis would be less severe, and I am happy to report that it has been so much better this this round. There are parts of me that think did they give him enough chemo??? Are we going to regret cutting back on that one drug? I hope not. Then I push those thoughts aside, but they do creep up once in a while. I have to remind myself that every round is different and his reaction not a direct correlation to how well the chemo is working.

My dad has been out here and has helped with a TON of projects. It has been good to spend time with him and learn from him since he is so handy. He is so good to the kids. He took Austin fishing and brings Henry dough nuts. He takes Emma to school and loves on her. Thank you dad for coming!!!

Austin had an ultra sound on Monday and it looks like everything is the same. The big tumor is not there and the small 1 centimeter lesions on his liver are still the same size. The doctors are not concerned about it as they have not changed size and the lesions might just be dead tissue left from the tumors. He will get a PET scan to see the activity of the cancer cells after this next round. I am so nervous, sometimes I get sick to my stomach when I think about it. The doctor also told us that they do not do regularly  scheduled scans after the patient goes into remission. Say what?! They will do a scan if there are any symptoms. That was a hard pill to swallow. I think they will need to explain that a little more as I find it really strange. The doctor is very optimistic that he will ok based on how the large tumor melted away after the first round and there is no growth on the ultra sound.

I am really good at keeping my emotions in check under pressure, but when I actually have time to sit and think about it I struggle to keep it together. It's frustrating since I just want to enjoy Austin's time here at home while he's here. It's been so good to have him home. He has a feeding tube now and he sleeps in our room. He has been playing a lot of video games. On the days that he seems to be feeling better he even does some chores and reading. There are moments that we feel normal which is great. Then there are moments that it still hits us like a train and we grieve. Grief is a funny thing. I liken it to waves upon the sand, sometimes it's calm and predictable and other times a huge wave will come unexpectedly and throw me on my butt. I'll cry at the most unexpected times, about sometimes silly things, and then be fine. There is no rhyme or reason to it. From my experience you just have to give it time and roll with it. The process is painful but it does get better. Ben and I have grieved for Austin since the first time he was sick. We were sad that he would have to have a life filled with medical procedures, problems, and worries. That he would need a new kidney one day, and he had a higher chance of getting cancer than the average person. So I guess we have some experience with it, but this time it feels like the stakes are higher and the sadness feels more intense.

We have received some amazing packages in the mail. We have received mail from friends and both of the kids classes. Thank you all for your generosity, thoughtfulness, kindness, and prayers. Personally, I am so grateful for the uplifting notes mailed to us. I will treasure them. The ward is bringing us dinner 3 times a week which has been wonderful. Our t-shirt campaign sold over our goal and many people were so generous in donating to that and to our gofundme. We are using the money to help with plane tickets for those that are coming out to help us and to fly Emma out to Texas to visit friends. It is nice to have a cushion and not have to worry so much about having to pay for added expenses like air travel, parking, eating out at the hospital. Thank you everyone!

Mucositis

It has been a hard week at our house. Austin was able to come home last Saturday. Most of the time he felt really crummy and there was maybe an hour a day that he acted like himself. He would sleep a lot and we would watch  him like a hawk. Last Wednesday he started to get a fever and he was complaining of his mouth hurting. It got worse and he was having a hard time swallowing without pain even with oxycodone. We called and had us go in. That was a stressful car ride. Austin was burning up and half way there his breathing became fast and he started to pant. I kept wondering if I should pullover and kept trying to talk to him, I decided to keep driving as long as he responded. There are not a great number of hospitals close to where we were so with a bit of California style driving and a prayer we finally got there. They accessed his port and started antibiotics while we waited for his blood counts. He all of a sudden started to cry that the left side of his mouth hurt and I could see it starting to swell. He said that it felt like a nerve exploded in his jaw. 

Sometimes I think the hardest part about this is not being able to see our little boy as he is a shadow of himself right now. You start to wonder how in the heck is he going to get through three more rounds of this? Am I going to get a chance to see him be himself again? I know, I know, everyone says one day at a time, but man, this sucks. How in the heck is he going to be able to get through this? He needs the chemo, and it is working. We just have to support him to get through this. If you are wondering what to pray for please pray that his body can have enough strength to push through the side effects so he can keep getting his treatments. 

My cousin came to the hospital and stayed with him till the weekend, switched off with Ben for the weekend, and then my cousin Jared stayed the night again. During that time Austin developed severe mucotisis. Chemo affects the cells that turn over quickly in your body (hair, mucus membranes). Basically Austin's mouth was completely covered with inflammation, cuts, and sores. It can affect your whole GI tract from your mouth all the way down to your bum. Because Austin was also complaining of his stomach hurting and urinating was painful they believe he did have it all the way through his GI tract. Austin's left cheek swelled up and they switched his antibiotics to cover a possible infection in his cheek. His cheeks and lips were so swollen he couldn't close his mouth. They put him on a continuous morphine drip with a button to administer extra when needed. Austin went 4 days without eating and getting minimal fluids by mouth. When his white blood cell count started to come up (with some assistance from Neupogen) his mouth started to feel better and he could start to eat and drink. We are still waiting for him to pass a stool. That brings us to today and his first ultra sound since the start of treatment. The baseball sized tumor is completely gone and the multiple masses in his liver that were 3 cm have come down to 1cm. It looks like we are on the right track and we are cautiously optimistic at this point. It's good to know that we can remain on this regiment and not have to start over with another set of drugs that are even harder on the system. And it's a morale booster that all of this is actually working. He will still need to complete the other 3 rounds of chemo. This lymphoma is the fastest growing lymphoma out there and can get into the central nervous system. It is important to hit it hard and not allow it any time at all to spread or to grow. 

Austin has been in good spirits despite everything. He might be able to leave the hospital for a few hours tomorrow and will start his Rituximab in the clinic on Thursday. Then he will be admitted for his 2nd round of chemo. He started to loose his hair, instead of loosing it all over his pillow, bed, shirt he decided to shave it off (he told us it was itchy). Ben is going to shave his too, along with some other very supportive family and friends! It was so hard to see him go through the pain of this last round. As parents its hard to feel completely helpless and know that he has to go through this 3 more times. The doctors are going to take some preventative measures to help minimize the mucositis with this next round. I think having a good attitude can really make us or break us. It has been amazing having all the support from family and friends during this time. From having my Step-Mom here (and helping in California to get us here) and my cousin to switch off with us at the hospital, to receiving meals from the ward, donations to Austin's GoFundMe, to packages in the mail, texts, and phone calls we feel extremely humbled, and grateful for all of you that have reached out to help. We could not and cannot do this without you. Thank you everyone, you have all been so great. My thoughts sometimes go to dark places and my friends and family are who pull me out of that. We hope one day to be able to give to others as much as has been given to us. 

Emma is doing well in school. She still struggles some, this has been really hard on her. My hope is that she can find some friends and we can get her some playdates. She might go to camp and go visit some friends this summer. We just need to keep her busy. Austin received some really fun mail. The Mariners baseball team sent him a box with a bobble head, shirt, beanie, baseball hat, and pictures signed by players. Thank you to whomever let them know about Austin being sick. He thought it was pretty cool and loves to wear the beanie. We just finished un-packing the house. I am so grateful for that. If this last round of chemo was supposed to be easy I can only imagine what might lay a head of us. Having a house that is organized and functioning will make it easier, so I have stayed home and let others go be with Austin. Thank you for everyone that sent mail to us! It has been up lifting. We have received some gifts through Amazon that did not say who it was from, but I can assure you that my kids have loved every single thing. It has been so amazing and thoughtful to have people from both our pasts that have reached out to send their love and support. There have been many happy tears shed as we feel your love.

Treatment Plan and Other Things

In my head I have sat down to write this a ton of times. The hospital is a weird place. Time can slip through your fingers quickly, and sometimes you are willing the clock to go faster when your child is in pain, or you are waiting for test results. We start with rounds in the morning and figure out the game plan for the day with the Doctors. We were given Austin's treatment plan. He will receiving  chemo on a 16-21 day cycle. Day one starts on the first day of chemo and the actual giving of chemo lasts a week, and then so many days till the next dose needs to be given and a chance for his blood counts to go back up. Each day of that week has different drugs at different times given. We have 4 cycles of chemo in the hospital including  a total of 8 lumbar punctures putting the chemo into his spine. What usually happens is a person's blood count goes down and they get a fever from having a low white count (neutropenic fever). Since he has a port whenever he has a fever we have to bring him in to the hospital for antibiotics to be sure that it is not an infection of any sorts. They culture it, which takes two days to get results. If his fever subsides and his blood count looks good they will keep us in the hospital for the next round of chemo. It will be a lot of in and out of the hospital. He will probably have a few days at a time at home in between treatments. The doctors hope that this will be it after this treatment, they are hopeful for a cure. According to the doctors this treatment is no walk in park.

It has been no walk in the park emotionally. How does one look a problem like this in the eye and come out the other side still functioning? How does one have the strength to fight knowing there might be suffering and not the outcome one hopes for? It is hard. For some reason, with exclusion to the initial news at UCLA, I have been by myself with Ben on the phone when we have received news. Can I tell you how hard that is? Standing alone in the hallway crying while the fellow (a doctor just starting to train in their field of specialty)  pats me awkwardly on the back. There is a reason I have lost weight and don't have much of an appetite (not a diet I recommend, too much emotional baggage, ha!).  I have been trying to become closer to Heavenly Father through all of this since I know that we cannot do this on our own. I didn't know though what to pray for. Healing? Comfort? To know that Austin would be ok? I would get up in the middle of the night most nights and bare my soul to Him, not knowing what I should be asking for. Then I figured it out. I asked for increased Faith. Faith that Heavenly Father could cure him. To have no doubt, and no fear, to trust Him. This is a tricky thing since I still feel like I need an eternal perspective, to accept Heavenly Father's will no matter what it is. A question that I have been grappling with is how does one have hope and faith while maintaining a balance of an eternal perspective? I have yet to master this and I hope one day to be able to wake up without a pit in my stomach. I think it will come in time. It has already become a little easier. Maybe that is what it will be like, maybe it will get a little easier everyday. There have been times that I have felt desperate for relief, and after much prayer I have received it. I know that a loving Heavenly Father is there for us, there is no doubt about that. I feel like I am in a battle with myself to allow Him to comfort me and help me. It will take time to find my footing and figure out how to transverse this new landscape.

Now after all that writing about doom and gloom I do not want anyone of you to feel sorry for me. This blog is a great way to reach out to those that want to know what is going on but it is also very therapeutic. Henry has been great through all of this. But Emma is struggling. Would anyone want to write to her to tell her you are thinking about her? I think it would make her day. If you want to send anything to her she loves Hello Kitty, Pokemon cards, make up, Legos, whales, dolphins, cats, crafty stuff, horses, and her favorite color is green. She will be attending a group for siblings of cancer patients. We will find her a counselor and I am trying to find her some friends. I think she needs some cheering up as she misses the familiar (her town, school, house), her friends, even her things as the moving truck has not arrived yet. She misses her parents being together, and her brother. She is trying to stay strong, but it's a lot for an 8 year old. Henry likes cars, emergency vehicles, and duplos. Our address is:

221 Ball St
Northorough, Ma 01532

Our email is:
benandcortney@gmail.com

Thank you for all the lovely messages of support and love! It really does brighten my day. Sometimes I feel paralyzed with fear, anxiety or sadness and then I receive a phone call, text message, or email from one of you. It helps me get out of my funk. It forces me to stop looking inward and to look to something brighter and happier. Austin loves the videos you are all posting. He is in good spirits most of the time. We are so blessed to have him in our lives. He is a ray of sunshine through it all. He cheers me up. If he can have a great attitude then why shouldn't I? His laugh is infectious, and his smile is amazing. He endures more and has endured more than most people ever do or should. He really amazes me, and embodies the saying: I can either laugh or cry through this, and I would much rather laugh.

Our ward has been amazing. They are bringing dinner 3x a week for the foreseeable future until we can find our footing. We already have volunteers signed up till part way through June. They have cleaned our house, had us over to dinner, ran errands for us, built a bunk bed, and offered help with anything. My Step-Mom has flown over and will be staying with us to switch on and off at the hospital, and so Ben can go back to work. I am very grateful! She is always a great help. Now I can have a chance to see my husband and other kids too. We can attempt to be normal once in a while (ha!). My cousin Jared will come and then my Mother-in-law will come to help us get through the rest of the month. We hope to have help for a big chunk of the 4 months we will be in and out of the hospital.  We were blessed to have Ben's company come furnish our house yesterday while we wait for the movers to come with our things. They are also sending a maid service to come and un-pack the house and take away all the boxes. I am so grateful for this. To have a clean orderly space makes it so much easier to deal with everything else.

I want you know that God is good and we are blessed even in this chaotic, crazy, sometimes disheartening time. Heavenly Father desires to bless everyone of us. All we have to do ask and try our best to be close to Him. He will lead the way, and give us what we need. It might always be what we think the need but what we actually need. The following really has comforted me:

"We can’t see the future. That’s what makes the unknown so scary.  Sometimes sticking with what we know, what we’re comfortable with, what we can see, feels like the safest bet in life. But that’s not how God intends for us to grow. Sometimes life requires us to take a leap of faith, especially when it comes to overcoming our fears.

“The natural man and the natural woman says there is no way I’m taking this step. There is no way I’m moving into the darkness until the light moves and I can see where I’m going,” taught Elder David A. Bednar in the video “Being an Agent to Act.”

But the requirement for faith is that we act first.

“Most of the time we think, ‘Well, give me the power and then I’ll act,’” said Elder Bednar. “But the Savior’s gospel teaches that first we act and then the power comes. We don’t know where to go. We don’t know what to do, but my trust in Him enables me to act.”

As we act, Jesus Christ blesses us with His power. Our faith in Him grows, our confidence increases, and we can then navigate the most difficult circumstances in life knowing that we will never be alone and we will always have His help.

Overcoming fear requires a divine power, and we gain that power as we choose to act first in faith."- Why It Will All Work Out

- Cortney

So My Kid Has Cancer

I guess it takes my kid having cancer to update my blog. Austin has cancer. It is so hard to write those words. I feel like it couldn't be more unfair. We've already almost lost him once and now facing it again is almost unbearable. Austin has PTLD (post transplant lymphoproliferative disorder).  The week before last he was complaining of pain while urinating. We called the nephrologist and they said that they would check it out and were not worried. The next day I watched him pee and it was very uncomfortable. Called the Dr's and told them we needed to do something a little more urgently. The next morning on Friday he collapsed at school from pain. I will always remember that day. We took him to the pediatrician and she said that she thought it was just a pulled muscle. I told her no, we need to get imaging done like the nephrologist suggested. She wrote orders, I argued with the imaging place and they squeezed him in. That is when they found a mass the size of a baseball by his bladder and something in his liver. We then rushed down to UCLA to have a CT scan. On Saturday morning they told us it was cancer. Ben and I were devastated. How could this be? His labs have been beautiful and he had been stable for about 2 years. How could he have so much cancer in him? We told them that we wanted to be treated at Boston Children's since we were moving to Massachusetts in a few weeks. They said either we get a biopsy that day or we fly out to Boston the next day. So that is what we did. We went home, did laundry, went to a wonderful going away party hosted last minute by our friends the Sayers and left the next morning.

    We arrived at the hospital Monday afternoon and he was admitted. They did a biopsy of the mass found by his bladder, a lumbar puncture, and a bone marrow biopsy. He was in good spirits and eventually we were able to talk to him about having cancer. It was really hard, especially when he asked me if he was going to die. How do you answer something like that? Stare into the face of your sweet child and answer in a way that won't terrify him? I asked him if he felt like he was going to die. He told me no. Then he asked if he could die from it and I told him that if it went untreated that yes he could and that was why we were at the hospital. We got out Friday and were able to spend the night together, Ben, Austin, and I, before Ben left to fly back to California. He flew back to get Henry, Emma, our two cats and to supervise the movers packing up the house. Austin started to have a horrible headache and back ache from the lumbar puncture. The back ache has subsided but the headache has not. He is on Oxycontin right now to help with the pain. He still has to lie down most of the time or he is in terrible pain. 

     We got news yesterday about the type of PTLD. Austin's is somewhat advanced. He will be admitted on Thursday to have a port placed and then the will start Rituximab that same day and keep him there to monitor him. The medicine is not chemo. It helps to break down the B-cells and get rid of the masses. The only problem is if you get rid of too many B-cells at once the toxins that are secreted by the killed off cells can hurt the kidney. That is why we are staying in the hospital, to see  how his body reacts. If it goes well he will get that once a week for 4 weeks total followed by chemo. Ben is flying with Emma, Henry, and the two cats on Thursday. I am so excited ot have our whole family back together again. 

There have been some pretty amazing and somewhat miraculous things that had to happen to make us be in the right place at the right time. I have seen Heavenly Father's hand in so many ways. When I came a few weeks ago with Ben to see our new house and town I really felt that I should come and tour the hospital. I was able to get in contact with someone and made an appointment. I also met who was to be our transplant coordinator and started the process of switching over to Boston Children's way earlier than what UCLA was planning on. On my way back to the car I received a very distinct impression that the reason why we were moving here was because of the hospital. I thought it was weird and didn't really grasp the meaning at the time. But now I do. When I was at the imaging place and had no idea what to do, who walks in but one of our pediatricians with her daughter for something totally unrelated. I was able to talk to her, get a quick hug and figure out my next step. When we went to our room at the hospital we just happened to get the nurse we usually have at our monthly infusions. We know her really well, and Austin really likes her. We also knew the lead resident from our last stay in the hospital, also another person we like and trust. We are currently staying with our good friends parents that happen to be Drs. I feel safe and loved here. Our new ward has done so much to reach out to us. Our bishop's wife drove over to pick us up and take us over to her house to hang out. Having friends from home visit us in the hospital while we wait for test results and bring us goodies. My cousin just happened to call and to tell me he was is in the area when we needed help. We have good friends here that are loving and supportive, always checking on us. We have received a ton of support from back home though calls, texts, and emails. The very fact that we are moving here right when we find out about all of this is amazing. It blows my mind that Ben happened to get a job at Boston Scientific at the beginning when Austin was sick the first time, just so we could be here at the right time. Heavenly Father has a plan for us. Some of these things might not be miraculous but at this point I really need to count every blessing. It helps to put things into perspective. 

Thank you everyone for your support. Please do not get offended if I do not call, text, or email back.  I will try and get back to everyone. I will be posting updates on here if you want to know what it going on. This may sound weird but I feel like I give away a little bit of myself whenever I have to explain the news. I have to re-live the pain, and the anxiety. What I really need from you is not questions but messages of support and love. Or a phone call to just tell me what's new at your house. In a sea of uncertainty having anything normal, even just a conversation, is great. It's distracting. It remind me that there is a world outside of all this other stuff of Dr's, treatments, scans, and news we don't want to hear. Austin loves to FaceTime other kids if your kids want to visit with him. Thank you for your understanding and your support. We are grateful to all of you. 

Baby River

The day we flew home from the Make a Wish trip (Jan. 29th) my Brother in law Jacob and his wife Serenity had their baby girl. I had some reservations about when we were going on the the trip because the one person that we wanted to be there more than ever couldn't come. It was because of Jacob that Austin could have a normal enough life to go on a such a trip. I was a wreck flying home. You see River has a heart defect and it was a pretty big deal she was coming into the world. We didn't know how well she would do outside the womb. I'm happy to say she did pretty well!

I flew to Arizona to give a hand. River had a heart surgery soon after being born. Diane had been there and needed to go home a few days. So we arranged baby sitting and I went for four days. It was great to help someone out after all the help we had received. I was able to stay the night in the hospital and be general company for Serenity. I was even the first one to hold her other than mom and dad.

Day Four: Dinsey World and Pirates Leauge

DISNEY WORLD!!!! I think I may have been more excited than the kids. We first went to Fantasy Land to ride the carousel. All carousels are Emma's favorite. She was in heaven with the one in Disney World. There were so many people there. I guess it was Brazil's Spring break and man there were tons of them. In huge groups, that would walk really slow. REALLY SLOW. I just got to the point that I would walk right through the middle of them. They didn't seem to mind. If you waited for them to get out of the way, you might just be there all day.

Fantasy Land had just been renovated so it was really busy, but fun. We went on the new Goofy roller coaster ride, Dumbo (now there are two identical Dumbo rides), Peter Pan, Met the Princesses and Mickey. We also took the kids to get dressed up at the Pirate's League. That was so fun. Emma was painted up to be like a mermaid, and Austin was Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates. They had Austin swear in as a pirate and learn the secret handshake and password. Emma had her nails done and a color changing clip and necklace bestowed upon her. She was in heaven. 

Evening with Stephanie

We spent the evening with Stephanie, Justin, and their kids Maddie and Clayton. We went on the carousel, ate some Boston Market, and gave them a tour of the Village. There was a relly cool magic show with Starburst candies that Emma loved. She laughed and laughed. Austin thought it was funny as well.

Day Three Univesal

We went to the Gingerbread house for breakfast with pancakes (of course) then led the way to our first park- UNIVERSAL STUDIOS!!!! I know that a lot of people might think that Universal is lame in comparison to Disney World, but my kids love super heroes! Heck they are super heroes, just in miniature! First we went to Adventure Island to see if we could meet some of the Marvel super heroes. We got a lot more than what we imagined! First they came down the street on three wheeled motor bikes then jumped off to visit with the crowds that were on the sidewalks. We were a little sad since it seemed that there were just too many people. Austin had his magic button from Give Kids the World on his jacket, along with his Make A Wish button as soon as Rouge and Storm spotted that they cleared the way for Austin and got down on his level to visit with him. Then their helper person asked if we wanted to wait in a specific area and that they would have all the heroes come and visit with us. ALL? Yes, all of them. Oh man, the kids were excited and the 20 minute wait was long for them. It was sooo worth it. They came up to us and visited with each one in our family. They loved hearing Austin's story, and were amazed. They told him how brave he was, and how strong and helpful Emma was, and what good parents we were. Very cool. I teared up a little. They kids were so happy. Spider-man, Cyclopse, Wolverine, Captain America, Rouge, and Storm were there. Emma was very bashful around the male heroes, but with Rouge and Storm she was in heaven. They were very sweet to her, and by the end Emma became quite animated and comfortable talking.  Austin loved meeting with everyone, and talked and talked. He told them stories about how he did super hero things, and how he beat this bad guy or that bad guy. And then told them how he had watched a show with them in it and what he liked that they had done. It was really great to see how engaged he was and how engaged they were. It was perfect. We spent over a half an hour visiting, and then took lots of pictures. They hugged all of us and rode off on their bikes.

We wanted to find a ride we could all go on. We found the Teridactical ride in the Jurassic Park section. Austin had seen the scary Jurassic Park ride on an advertisement, and really wanted to go on it. I tried to tell him that it would be on the scary side but he insisted that he was brave. He really liked it till the end. He then informed me he did not want to go on it again. From then on he would ask if I thought if this ride, or that ride would be scary. Poor bud!

We kept walking and hit Harry Potter World. Butter beer is amazing. I don't want to know the calorie content, as I am sure it is astronomically high. We went to Olivander's Wand Shop, and to see the Hogwart's Express. There was a roller coaster we could all go on, the Hypengryf. We all went on it a couple of times, then Ben was done. Austin and I went on it 8 times in a row! We would get off the ride and he would say "I wanna do it again!!!". And so we would.

After the roller coaster we took off to the Hogwarts Castle for the tour. Austin was pretty bummed he wasn't tall enough to go on it. The castle was amazing with moving and talking pictures and snow coming down in the common room. We went to lunch at The Three Broom Sticks with the shadows of crows flying across the walls.

We walked to Dr. Suesse Land and watched the show and met the characters. Austin was very excited to meet all of them. Thing One and Thing Two danced with him and jumped around. The Grinch gave him a huge hug. Emma sat there petrified, refusing to talk to anyone. She did enjoy the Dr. Seusse ride. We left the park to meet Stephanie and her family at Give Kids the World.