Rodney Cluff Family

Merry Christmas and a Happy Year!

2011-12-28T08:32:00.000-08:00

Well, life continues to speed by at a break-neck pace. I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas! I love Christmas. Everything about it. The decorations, the candy, the food, the parties, the lights, and of course, all of those remind me of Christ. What an amazing celebration commemorating Christ's birth. People talk of the commercialization of Christmas and I say bring it on. The bigger it gets the bigger and better we celebrate Christ. It's all because of HIM. So... Merry Christmas!
Jessica has been busy with friends, piano, and the school play. She won the lead role this year and is thrilled. It actually has two lead roles, and she and one of her friends got them. They are having a lot of fun! Jessica is fully into being a teenager and "doesn't want us to touch her", no hugs and "ugh, I can't believe I have to tell you all the time where I am". Well, tough break for her because we still sneak in hugs every chance we get and we come looking for her when she should have been home or she doesn't answer a text! Poor thing has parents that care! She doesn't believe she'll make it through with such embarrassing parents!
Jane is full of surprises. Of course, she still loves karate and goes twice a week. She is now a red belt for the third time. She is chomping at the bit to finally become a black belt. She hopes we stay here long enough for her to accomplish this goal she has had "forever"! She is taking one class a week in gymnastics to spend more time with me. She misses me! aaaaah... (More on that in a minute) She also shocked Rod and I when she announced, "I want to join the orchestra and play the viola." What???? I had NO IDEA! None. Apparently, it's been a dream since 2nd grade and people from the Houston Symphony came to her classroom with their instruments and talked about them. The violist (is that a word) well the person who played the viola, said that viola players get scholarships to college, because they need more, there are too many violin players, so it's hard to get a scholarship. So, here we are listening to jingle bells by Jane on her viola! Viola scholarship is her back up plan. She has about 7 back up plans for scholarships and paying for college. Yay!
Gracie is loving her new gym! Olympus Gymnastics in Sandy, UT. Yes, Sandy and yes it's 50 minutes away from our house! And yes, I was taking her and staying the 4 hours everyday. When I had a brilliant idea. I might as well work there if I'm already there! So, I am officially a part-time gymnastics coach trading my time for Gracie tuition and other gym expenses. Gracie continues to love gymnastics and recently said, "Mom, going to gymnastics is more fun than playing with my friends!" She tears up anytime she can't go to gymnastics and occasionally it deteriorates into a full blown hysterical fit. She really likes her school and especially the fact that she gets to leave everyday at 1pm.
As for me, I am now a working mom. Well, a part-time working mom. I didn't realize how much I was going to like coaching. I coach tots, level 1, 2 and 3 on the recreational side of gymnastics. Finally, my tumbling and cheering all those years is coming into play--HA!! to all those skeptics who said I'd never use my cheer after college! The problem with my schedule is that it's Monday-Thursday. So, Gracie and I leave for the gym and Jessica and Jane are left to fend for themselves until Rod gets home. Jessica was reveling in the freedom but Jane was sad. So on Mondays Jane comes with us and Jane and I get to spend several hours together. One hour in class, she's taking one of my level 2 classes and then while we wait for Gracie, Jane and I can read or go shopping or whatever we want. It's been an adjustment for everyone. Rod, Jessica and Jane are now the official dinner makers and they are doing a fantastic job! Food always tastes better when someone else makes it! Rod now understands why I'd call him and say that he needed to pick something up for dinner every now and then and can't believe I didn't have him pick up take out more.
Well, that's all for now. We hope all is well with you and yours!! Have a fabulous week before the new year begins and we all have to hunker down and start our new year's resolutions!

Finally....

2011-09-01T12:48:00.000-07:00

Well, here goes nothing. It's taken me long enough to update this. I never sent out Christmas cards...you can say it...LOSER!!! I know--super lame.

Rod is liking his job. He started school last week along with the girls. (Apparently one master's degree is not enough) He started a master's program in Accountancy--or Taxation or something like that. He has a few leveling classes. Most were waived because of his MBA.

Jessica after much deliberation finally decided to go to the regular jr high and not the charter school she was accepted to. The clincher was that the regular jr high offered 8 classes a semester instead of just 7--I have weird kids--who wants MORE classes?? She's still taking piano and liking it.

Jane is a genius!! (or is now that we moved here) :) She was accepted into the gifted and talented full time program. That just means that I have to drive her and she doesn't go to the school that is a block away from our house. :( She is back in full swing with her karate training and loving it.

Gracie is going to a charter school--much to my relief--I thought I was going to have to home school her. Can you imagine me doing that?? I can't and I was freaking out--but this charter school will let her out as early as 1pm each day she has gymnastics!!! Hip Hip Hooray!!!! Her gymnastics schedule is now Tuesday-Friday 4:30-8:30. As if that isn't bad enough her gym is 50 minutes away--yes that's right 50.

On that note we traded in our V6 engine car for 2 nice little Mazda 2s. Can you say 35mpg?? YAY! Yep, Rod and I now drive little bitty cars. Rod makes it look a bit like a clown car! Oh well, he thinks our next car should be a Nissan z and he will most magnanimously give his to Jessica when she starts driving in a couple of years.

Gracie's last check-up showed that she is still cancer-free! She can now move to annual check ups. She still has some of the chemo-chemicals in her blood but they should continue to decrease. She's at 3 years cancer-free! I didn't realize the chemo stayed in her system for soooo long.

We miss our Texas pals...and all our friends stroon about the world! We think of you often and are so grateful you've crossed our path...until next time

We're All OK

2010-11-23T20:42:00.003-08:00

So......Life is never as boring as we'd like it to be. Rod got a great job with Big-D Construction in Salt Lake City. He moved out to Salt Lake a little over a month ago. We went back and forth about when the girls and I would move. Well, we decided sooner rather than later. So, I set off with the girls early a few days ago and as we were driving thru Wyoming, within 20 miles of Rawlins, we hit ice on the road. I was going about 30-35 mph but the ice was more than our Suburban could handle and it fishtailed and slid off the road where it rolled over--the driver's side hit the ground first, then onto the roof and then the passenger side and back onto the tires. It was definitely one of the single most frightening experiences of my life. We were all wearing our seatbelts and as I took inventory of the girls and the situation, I looked up and a semi-truck jack-knifed off the road not a hundred yards from us. The girls, and I for that matter, are a little, well alot, freaked out about driving or riding in a car! A super nice truck driver and his wife stopped and stayed with us until the paramedics got there. They even helped pick up all the stuff that had been thrown from the car.

This Thanksgiving we're grateful for all the things that went right--

1--we didn't land on our heads. It would have been alot more difficult to calm down the girls if the car would have stayed on the roof and not found it's way back to the tires!!

2--we were all wearing seatbelts and had no injuries--I'm pretty sore but the girls are perfect!!

3--the nice trucker couple stopped and helped us

4--the paramedics were great with the girls and had them laughing and talking and really help to keep them calm

5--the engine worked perfectly--no leaking fluids so I could keep the heat on full blast and keep us pretty warm even though the windows were busted out and the 20 degree wind was blowing in!!

6--Rod made it to us safely
7--a relative of my brother-in-law lived in Rawlins and let us stay with her until Rod got there!! She even made us pancakes and her grandchildren came to play with the girls--a further distraction that was greatly appreciated!! She was also a nurse and kept an eye on the girls :)

8--We made it to Utah safely and are together!!

I'm sure there were many other things we're not aware of that Heavenly Father put in place so that when this one thing went wrong, we had all the tools we needed to make it through.

We're grateful for our family and friends and we thought of all of you and are grateful we're all OK to see and talk with you again and again and again....

Where did Summer go??

2010-09-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

Ok Seriously, Where did the summer go? I remember a few highlights--2 family reunions, Gracie's baptism (which was fabulous) and... yeah, 3 things don't make for a summer. I don't know what we did but apparently it wasn't very memorable! The weather's beautiful in the summer here. It's hot during the day but cools off so pleasantly in the evening and walking in the mornings is refreshing!! Let's see...school is in full swing!
Jessica is in the fall play (Alice in Wonderland) at her school--She's the froggy footman and is loving every minute! Her schedule goes something like this--choir, theater arts, core classes and theater production (play practice)--rough!
Jane is continuing her martial arts in tae kwon do. She is enjoying it but misses karate and her dojo and instructor from Pearland! She LOVES 5th grade. She's the "queen" of the classroom. When the teacher has to step out he says, "Jane's in charge, if you have any questions ask her, she'll know." Jane says it's fun but that it's hard to get her own work finished when she's helping the other students. She is so happy to FINALLY have a boy teacher. She's waited and waited since kindergarten which was a long, long, loooooong time ago! She also joined the Girls' Math Club and learned how to play chess.
Gracie is still loving gymnastics and doesn't think 6 hours a week is enough. She thinks she should be doing gymnastics, "at least like 10 hours a day or something, mom!!" She loves school! Yay! School has been a struggle and then brutal while she was sick and after, but she's finally found her stride! So far this year we haven't broken into tears over homework and she actually wants to do it! Major improvement.
I'm planning a trip to Texas in October, should be fun!!!
Hoping all is well with you and yours!
Until next time...

Moving Mania

2010-03-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

Well, as many of you know we've moved!! It was a painful process. We just wanted to make the best and right decision for our family. We prayed and prayed and when the path became clear, we cried and cried. We loved Texas!! But here we are in a frozen land of snow!!! The drive out here was torturous but we made all made it in one piece. Driving long distances stinks!!

Jane and Gracie love snow! They've not really experienced 'real' snow. I think it snowed two times while we lived in Texas and it never stuck around or was enough to play in. But luckily or unluckily, it's snowed twice since we've moved here and each time it was a ton of snow!! School was even cancelled yesterday!! The two of them played and played, then would come inside and throw everything wet in the dryer and as soon as the dryer beeped they'd pull their clothes back on and head out for more snow adventures!

Jane and Gracie have started school and love it! The school day is shorter and they get recess everyday. They also have less homework (I think Rod and I are more excited about that than the girls). Jessica can't start school till the 5th of April. Her school had finals this week and spring break next week, so the counselor thought there was no point in having her start! She is loving the big break. We shipped Jessica off to spend some quality time with her Aunt Vicki!! She is nannying and hopefully being more helpful than a hindrance.

We're enjoying being closer to family and are headed to Utah to visit Rod's family.

We hope all is well with you and yours! Until next time...

Time Flies...

2010-01-25T10:48:00.000-08:00

Time is flying by...I don't know what I've done recently but I haven't had any down time...We had the best Christmas ever at the 'Happiest Place on Earth' (Walt Disney World). First, my parents and one lucky cousin joined us on the Disney Cruise. It was a short cruise and very rocky. No one could walk down the hall in a straight line. It was so funny! Regardless, of the waving ocean, we had a marvelous time. Rod, my dad, Jessica and Katy went snorkeling. My mom, Jane, Gracie and I went on a glass bottom boat tour and a tour of Nassau by bus. The bus ride was one of the most frightening experiences of my life! We went up on curbs and literally missed other cars by inches! The driver would zoom forward and muscle his way into traffic even when we didn't have the right a way!!! Squeaking brakes and bumping up curbs, all the while giving us an incomprehensible commentary on the sights--that we zoomed by--didn't seem the bother the bus driver in the slightest!! Crazy!! The shows on board were more than fabulous, along with the food...I think we all gained more than a few pounds! It just gave us one more thing to add to our New Year's resolutions. HA HA!!

Disney World was so beautiful--it's awesome always but with all the Christmas decorations it was amazingly awesome. We stayed 10 days and it was more relaxing because we didn't feel we needed to rush. At the Grand Floridian Hotel they had this gingerbread house that's the size of a back yard shed--actually it's probably bigger and it's all edible! It was a masterpiece. It took our breath away. At Epcot, they have a 'Christmas Cantata'. They have a full orchestra and choir with a celebrity narrator. Our narrator was Brian Dennehy. I was stunned to find out that everyone of those performers had volunteered their time. We want to go back every year simply to be apart of this magnificent musical rendition of the Savior's birth. It was so nice to be surrounded by Christians from all around the world and for the narrator to ask us to pray for our soldiers and that we're blessed to have Jesus. The spirit was so strong...I didn't want to leave my seat. It was so thrilling to be around good people, celebrating the most wonderful event ever! It was magical.

We've come back to reality and we're in full swing with school and activities, and church. We are holding each moment we have in Austin in a special place in our hearts as we desperately don't want to leave but Rod's 2 year contract is up...We don't know where life will take us next, but we know that it'll be a great place, with great people. No matter where we've been in our lives, we've always been blessed with great friends who've laughed and cried with us. How lucky we are! Until next time...

Fall Fun!!

2009-11-03T16:00:00.000-08:00

Well, here we go!! It's been a year that Gracie has been cancer free!! She has an appointment later this month and then we'll see if all is still well!! She competed this year in gymnastics and and did amazing! Her coach is moving her up 2 levels! She's really excited.

Jane has many exciting things going on right now. The last couple of weeks she's been campaigning for Student Body Treasurer. She gave her speech today--it was a rapping poem. She said her legs were really shaking and to make the shaking worse she had to stand on her tippy toes to be able to reach the microphone! (Her slogan was Jane may be small but she has it all!!) We could barely see her eyes and the top of her head over the podium! But she held on to the podium and kept the beat! Jane is now the newest elementary school treasurer!! She is so excited! She's in the middle of her science project, and she entered the GAP casting call. She continues to LOVE school.

Jessica is loving middle school. She is definitely in her element! She had her first choir concert and it was fabulous! She loves her classes, especially: Mythology, Dance and Choir. She not only got A's in those classes but 100 or above in them! How do you get more than 100--weird! They don't give traditional A, B's and C's, etc. they simply give the percentage. Anyway, she and her friend read about how the whales are having a difficult time right now and co-founded the 'Whale Club' at their school. They found a teacher to be their advisor and signed several kids up in the club and have even had a few meetings. Did we mention that she LOVES middle school?

Life here is going well. Hope it continues--you never know what is awaiting you just around the corner!

I Love School!

2009-08-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

The girls started school yesterday and I (Melissa) was so excited I could hardly wait!! Yesterday I made bread and listened to my favorite sound--the sound of silence!!! It was AWESOME!

We had a great summer. We hosted the Zimmerman Family Reunion and had lots of cousins and lots of fun. Summer flew by--We honestly can't believe it went so fast.

Jessica started middle school--she came downstairs yesterday morning and actually looked like she was a middle school student! When did she get so ladylike? She is so excited about middle school. We hope it lives up to her expectations. She got all of the classes she was hoping for, so that's a great start.

Jane's in 4th grade and she has the same teacher Jessica had in 4th grade. She loves school and during the summer convinced us to put her into Math Camp and she vying for Science and Math Camp next year--She asked us if she could do a Science Camp after school year-round. As long as she's learning she's happy.

Gracie is in 2nd grade. She really got a great teacher! She had her first gymnastics competition this last weekend and she did fabulous!! On the way home she said, "I did so great but when I'm in the Olympics I'll be the best!" She is definitely always making us laugh.

Hope all is well with you! 'Til next time.

Fun and Sun

2009-05-29T01:54:00.000-07:00

We are so excited for summer! We've been spending every extra minute at the pool. Last year Gracie wasn't able to swim and we told her this year we could swim everyday!! She has been absolutely giddy about swimming and Jessica and Jane have loved having her swimming with them.

Jessica wants to start piano lessons this summer, so we are on the hunt for a great teacher!! She loves everything that has anything to do with music and dancing and singing! She starts middle school in the fall and we can not believe it! She's really coming into her own.

Jane decided gymnastics would add spice to her karate routines and is taking gymnastics and really liking it! She still has petite-itis and is in the 3rd percentile for her age--last year at her well care visit the doctor kept referring to Jane as petite. Jane's eyes got bigger and bigger, she thought she had some disease called petite and finally she ask, "What is petite??" The doctor said, "Petite means small in French." After the doctor left the room Jane turned to Melissa and said, "Why is the doctor speaking French and not English!!" Oh, we laughed and laughed about that and it still makes us chuckle! Jane and Melissa did a cheer when the doctor said Jane was in the 3rd percentile--the doctor tried to explain that the 3rd percentile was low and not high and Melissa said, "Well, we were aiming for the 3rd percentile because last year Jane was only in the 2nd percentile!" We are glad she holding steady but we think she finally realizes that Gracie even though she's younger will probably be taller than her!

Gracie is getting stronger and stronger and amazing her gymnastics coaches everyday! She'll begin competing in the fall. She is so into gymnastics that she wishes she was there all the time! She has no doubt that she'll be just like those "gymnastics girls on TV" (she watched the Olympics avidly). Every time we look at Gracie we are grateful for eternal families and are so happy we have more time with her now.

We hope your summer is filled with fun and sun!

Cruisin' with the Cluffs

2009-03-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

We love Make-a-Wish!!! We were able to go on a Disney Cruise in February. They granted Gracie's wish and our whole family got to enjoy it. It was totally awesome! It was nice to spend time together as a family in a fun environment rather than a hospital room. We were able to go snorkeling in Nassau, Bahamas!!!! It was beautiful. We had no idea the water of the ocean could be so clear and beautiful and the fish were so colorful and beautiful. Disney has their very own island called Castaway Cay! We went bike riding and snorkeling there also! There were 'sunken ship' parts just off the beach and Mickey Mouse was the prow of the sunken ship!! It was fun to find Mickey under the sea! There was so much to do on board and the food was amazing! We are so grateful for our blessings and all the many volunteers and organizations and friends and family that helped us this past year! We feel so lucky to have Gracie's wish granted--it was the perfect way to celebrate her recovery.

2009-01-28T07:44:00.000-08:00

The New Year is here along with the freezing rain!! We woke up to tiny little icicles on everything!! It's pretty but cold! The girls (all 3) are in school and Melissa is getting back to normal and loving it!! Gracie is right up with her class and especially glad for recess and P.E. She really missed the social aspect of school. Jane is just plugging along--the district thought they would have to cancel school because of the "freezing rain" and when we found out school was NOT cancelled Jane yells, "Hooray!! I did not want to miss school!!" We wish we could bottle her enthusiasm for school and sell it, we'd be millionaires! Jessica loves her friends at school but it is no longer "cool" to love school. She has her nose in a book constantly and even got caught in Math class with it on her lap reading and not paying attention to the lesson. As long as she can balance a check book, she can read all she wants!! (don't tell her that, we had a very serious talk about the importance of all subjects and the respect you should show your teachers by listening and she is now not allowed to take books to school)

We have also been looking for swimming suits to go on the Disney Cruise in February. The Make-A-Wish Foundation is sending us on the cruise and there are no swimsuits to be found and everyone has grown out of their swimsuits from last year. Rod actually shrank out of his but that's a whole other topic. We finally find one for Grace and the total with the suit and cover-up is over $70 so we go over to Target and Rod tells Grace if she can find one here she can have any one she wants--Well, famous last words as Gracie finds an itsy, bitsy, teeny, weeny, yellow polka-dot bikini--she proceeds to try it on and runs out of the dressing room to Rod shaking her booty and saying, "OOOOH!! The boys will think I'm sexy!!" Rod will probably qualify everything he says from now on!! Jessica and Jane and even Melissa found a swimming suit! Who knew they had suck-um in and push-um up swimsuits!!! Sweet!

Have a frosty and fun day!

A Christmas Note

2008-12-13T15:35:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!!

This Past Year has been Crazy!!
We’ve started our Christmas letter the past few years that exact way. It was true enough each time we wrote it, but... We didn’t realize what being truly crazy could mean. Our lives were turned upside down when Grace was diagnosed with cancer in June and our world was tipped right side up again when no cancer could be found in October, yet our perspective on life is forever altered.

Jessica (10) enjoys choir
Jane (8) was baptized this year
Grace (6) is getting healthier everyday

May His Grace Rest Upon You Always.
We Think Of You Often And Hope You Are Well.

The Cluff Family
Rodney, Melissa, Jessica, Jane & Grace

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-03T08:05:00.000-08:00

This time of year always helps us remember our blessings--this year, like never before, we are grateful for our friends, family, and neighbors. We've felt the love of our Savior so strongly and feel so overwhelmed by the love we feel from each of you. The Barton Creek Ward and Pearland Ward along with our friends, family and neighbors made it possible for us to keep our home running. We didn't realize how Grace being sick would depress our progress in every aspect of our lives. We love having such an amazing group of people pulling for us. We are so lucky to be surrounded by such loving, kind family--we consider all of you family.

Merry Christmas!!!

Not a trace....

2008-10-03T13:44:00.000-07:00

We met with the doctor today and Grace is cancer-free!!! The doctor said, "This is amazing, there's not a trace!"

We are so excited we can hardly keep it together!! We're crying and laughing and jumping up and down and clapping and screaming out and crying, laughing......

Gracie was on the phone and said, "I beated up the cancer!"

She has tests again in 12 weeks. If those tests are all clear then she can have her Broviac (central line) taken out. She'll be tested every 12 weeks for the first year. She'll be on an antibiotic for at least 6 months but that's way better than hospital stays and chemo.

Her white blood count is still low but that's normal as her bone marrow is rebuilding. The doctor said that she'll be able to start going to school in January. For now, it's better for her to remain in the homebound program, it will enable her to continue to get healthier and stronger.

Yeah!!!!! Gracie is cancer-free.

We don't know what to do--this is so amazing!

We don't even know how to begin to express our gratitude for the many, many, many acts of service and the millions of prayers offered in our behalf. It's a miracle--because of all of you--we could not have made it through. So many times we thought we couldn't go on for another minute and someone would fill the need, and made it possible for us to meet the challenge at hand. We've never been through a more difficult experience but we've never been so blessed.

Thank you. We hope everyone has a huge party tonight, tomorrow and everyday celebrating life, love, friends, family, kindness, courage and service.

In other news, Jessica made the All-City choir!! She is so excited. Her music teacher said she had a great audition!! 5th graders from all around the city are chosen to represent their school. So if you see her, please congratulate her!!!

Tonight we'll sleep like never before!!

Testing...one, two, three

2008-09-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

Today, Gracie had her PET and CAT scans done. It was an ordeal--not the tests themselves but getting to the point the tests could be done was a mess.

Starting yesterday Gracie couldn't eat any carbohydrates--which was a challenge because she'd say something like--mom, can I have a Popsicle--no, sweetie that has sugar--papa, can I have a potato--no, it's a carbohydrate--papa a potato is not sugary--well, it doesn't taste like sugar but it really is--Let's put it this way Grace, you can have eggs, meat and cheese!!! That's it! That just made her want chips, cereal, bread etc more because they weren't on the list--is she a 6 year old or what??

We made it through the day and we woke up today and got Jessica and Jane off to school and we left a little while later and were at the radiologists office at 8:21am. But the first thing we ask for was a barf bucket--we weren't even half way to the doctor's when Gracie began throwing up. Of course, we didn't have a bucket, or trash can, or bag or anything--so she just threw up all over her blanket that she brought for her "comfort" item and Melissa was turned around in her seat trying to catch it all on the blanket, as Rod kept on driving faster and faster (the smell was motivating us to get there quickly). Luckily, Gracie had decided to bring her giant Cinderella stuffed doll also. So, we had a back-up "comfort" item. We highly recommend back-ups of all kinds!!

We get checked in and wait, and wait, and Gracie lays down and they call her name!! Back we go, to a room that is stifling hot because among other instructions we got were that Gracie should be kept really warm--jacket, long-sleeve shirt, pants, socks and shoes and we can't forget the hat!! The paramedic enters and puts numbing cream on a couple of different areas because it's better to access her not through her Broviac tube. We wait in the sauna of a room and he comes back 30 minutes later and he can't get a vein--she's too dehydrated--she's been poked several times and then they decide that they have to use her tube (great, all that trauma for nothing)--They also need to get the vomiting under control, but all meds have to be ok'd by the doctor. We got the ok for some anti-nausea medicine after about an hour and also for some Valium because she's upset about the pokes etc and we need her calm, calm, calm.

Next, comes the radioactive sugar--that has to circulate for 45 minutes or so--so, we wait, with the meat falling off our bones in the sauna they are keeping us captive in. (just so you know, trashy magazines are as trashy as ever and we had time to read them all!!!)

In the team comes and out go Rod and Grace (apparently the rules changed from the last time because now only one parent is allowed). By now, we are all exhausted and so the test that took about 40 minutes went perfectly--they didn't even have to give Gracie any extra medicines to keep her calm. She just laid there as still as can be while the machines whirled around her.

Recovery was another 40 minutes--they had to be sure she would keep liquids down and that she wasn't too loopy. Then off we went--at 2:00pm!!! All day long--and now Gracie wasn't the only one starving (Gracie couldn't eat anything after midnight)!!!!

First stop lunch!! Yummy!! Next stop home--we all needed a nap but none of us got one--so early to bed!! So, we are signing off because we need to be asleep in about 10 minutes!! Do you think we'll make it??? Have a super evening--we meet with the doctor on Friday to go over the results of the test. We'll update the blog asap when we get home. Until Friday....

You know, mama, it will be OK...

2008-09-16T06:53:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!! It's been awhile since the last post because Melissa was sick last week and now Rod and Grandma are sick! Grace has been home for over a week. So far the mouth sores have not made an appearance!!! Kepivance and prayers work really well together. We are still keeping our fingers crossed and hope the mouth sores are not just delayed!! Grace has been having pain in her hips and lower back from the neupogen (it's a medication that stimulates white blood cell production). She's never noticed the pain before because she's been in a morphine stupor by now. Tylenol with hydrocodone works wonders for hip pain and we've been able to manage the pain at home. Gracie has her PET and CAT scans in a couple of weeks. Then we will know better where we're at and we can move forward from there. She feels really good right now. Over this week her white blood count should come up and she may have a week or so where she can be pretty normal and go to church etc. We'll have to wait and see but she misses everyone so much at church and gymnastics and she's excited to meet new friends at school too.

Friday night, Grace came to Melissa and ask if they could snuggle--Gracie climbed up and snuggled in and ask, "Mama, did you know that some kids with cancer die?"
"Yes, I do know that."
"But you and papa don't want me to die, do you?"
"No, sweetie we don't."
"You know, mama, it will be OK because if I die, Heavenly Father and Jesus will be there to take care of me until you and papa come and Jessica and Jane and we can all give big hugs!"
"Yes, we are a forever family. I love you Grace."
"I love you too mama. Will you rub my back until I fall asleep?"
"Yes."
Then Melissa silently cried and cried as Gracie fell asleep.

Grace is only 6--and she knows Heavenly Father and Jesus will take care of her no matter what happens. She has such great faith--it's amazing how the little ones teach us.

We hope this finds you well. Have a great day.

And so it continues...

2008-09-03T05:11:00.000-07:00

This has got to be a record. Grace is still home!!! We've had clinic visits every week day and a blood transfusion but we've been able to be at home in the evenings and mornings!!! Tomorrow, September 4th, Grace starts her 5th round of chemo. It's the same chemo she had the first 2 times that made her so sick with mouth sores--on the up side we've been getting the medicine to help with that--cross your fingers!!

Her home bound teacher is amazing with her. It's been so good for her to have that structure and know that no matter what education is important. Grace has "school" on Tuesday and Thursday from 9-11 in the morning. She has homework in between sessions. They are moving at a very fast pace--We were skeptical that 4 hours a week could actually keep her up with the class but it's amazing how much they accomplish in that time. It'll be interesting to see how it works when we are in the hospital. Hopefully, we'll only have to have school in the hospital on Tuesday and we'll be home for the Thursday class time.

We are anxiously awaiting the clinical evaluation that will be done after her 5th round. The doctor said that they wait 3-4 weeks to do the evaluation so the patient is feeling a little better and the chemo side effects are wearing off. It's really the results that we are anxiously awaiting. A little girl a few weeks ahead of Grace had a lot of scar tissue and they couldn't determine conclusively that the scar tissue wasn't tumors so they opted for 4 more chemo rounds. We didn't realize there could be scar tissue from all the tumors but it makes sense that there would be some damage. We are hoping for the best but we'll do whatever we need to.

Grace was so sad on Labor Day. Her cousins were here and we went to the pool/park to play and she couldn't go swimming. She could just dangled her feet in and she said to grandma, "it's just not fair that Jessica and Jane get to go swimming and I don't!" Grandma just told her that she was right. It's not fair and that probably next summer she'd be able to go swimming too. Grandma also got her another Popsicle--that always helps!!

She seems to be doing well. We hope that means she's doing a great job at "beating up the cancer". That's what we always tell her when she's sick of everything--we tell her we have to keep fighting and beat up the cancer.

This is definitely the worst and most amazing experience of life so far--we know prayer works and we know service changes lives because our life is better because of all those willing to help us at this time. We hope this finds you well.

Home Sweet Home

2008-08-26T04:26:00.000-07:00

Sunday was Gracie last day of chemo for the 4th round. She was supposed to finish up around 4:45pm and then go home!!!! At about 1:30 she started having respiratory spasms--she could breathe but it was getting harder for her and she began panicking (of course!!! who wouldn't panic) which made it worse to the point she started throwing up!! After that though she was so worn out that she was like a rag doll and she began dozing off--but it helped her relax and about 20 minutes later her oxygen level went back up and she seemed to be all right. She didn't have to go on oxygen so we were able to come home as planned--yeah!! But we got a stern caution that if Grace started not breathing we should take her to the closest ER--and if she began turning blue we should call 9-1-1. She continued by adding that 'breathing is really important!'
Whew!!! That was great information and I began laughing then the nurse realized what she said and started laughing too. We definitely don't want to add 'ambulance ride' to our list of new experiences so we hope there's no blueness that occurs over the next week or so.

Our first day at home was the first day of school. Luckily, we bought the girls' school supplies at the end of last year from the PTA!! Jane and Jessica both got really nice teachers--we've already had parent/teacher conferences--we try to avoid those =)!! We've also met Gracie's teacher at the conference with the principal, counselor, and homebound rep. I've never had to meet with the principal before. Fun, fun times. Gracie is enrolled in the 'homebound program'. It's a program where cancer kids are assigned to a teacher and classroom but a tutor comes either to your home or to the hospital to teach the child so they stay up with the class. The teacher meets with the tutor, so the tutor teaches the same things that they are learning in class (all tutors are certified teachers). Amazingly enough the tutor only meets with Grace 4 hours a week--the tutor said that usually homebound kids end up being ahead of the classroom. We could hardly believe it--they can really go fast when it's one-on-one. Anyway, that starts today--we'll see how it goes.

It's looks like we won't have to start the 5th round until day 21--we are on day 9 today. We'll see. It seems everytime we get our hopes up that we'll be at home for a while it seems something comes up--but she is home and a nice beige-peachy-pinky color--HOORAY!!

We hope this finds you well--

4th Round of Chemo

2008-08-19T16:39:00.000-07:00

Grace started her 4th round of chemo yesterday. She had a lumbar puncture today and usually when she comes out of general anesthesia she is mean, mean, mean!!!! Today she was chatty and silly--and I'm thinking they did a partial lobotomy, not a lumbar puncture!!! Anyway, it was a good day for her. She was able to play in the playroom and make herself a badge with her picture and name--just like the hospital staff. She's official now. She is also taking over many jobs like taking her own temperature and blood pressure.

We'll see how this week plays out--hospital weeks are hard but in general the side effects haven't kicked in yet so she feels pretty good!! We hope the rest of this week goes well. We were so excited to have her home for 8 days in a row!!! It was awesome. We were able to go to our nephew's baptism (way to go Austin)!!! Grace had so much fun with her cousins!! Just getting out of town cheered all of us up!!

We'll keep you updated as much as we can. Many of you have asked us if the treatments are working. She'll have a thorough evaluation after her 5th chemo round and that will give a better idea of where she is at. We know that the tumor on her neck has gone away (visually). We hope that is indicative of the other tumors but as of yet, we don't know. But we'll let you know as soon as we have more info.

We hope this finds you well!! Have a super day.

More Blood

2008-08-13T04:44:00.000-07:00

Monday, Grace needed a blood transfusion. We were able to do it at the doctor's office!! It took the better part of the day but we were able to come home again!!

Her next round doesn't start until Sunday. She has another office visit tomorrow, hopefully all will go well and we'll get to stay at home the whole week--that would be amazing.

Our nephew is getting baptized this Saturday and Grace really wants to see her cousins, hangout and just feel normal. She misses gymnastics and we were watching the women's team last night and Grace said, "When I'm in the Olympics, I hope I have my hair again, it'd be weird if I was bald and the other girls had ponytails!" We told her she'd have her hair by then!! After that she wanted to know if we'd let her wear make-up if she was in the Olympics--we said yes--but that hers would look good, not so crazy!! What is up with gymnasts and their complete lack of make-up common sense??

Anyway, this has been the best week since all this craziness started. Hopefully, it'll continue to get better and better.

At Home and Loving it!!

2008-08-09T05:25:00.000-07:00

We are at home and loving it. Grace is doing well and eating more than she was at the hospital. Her skin is getting mottled and is peeling. The mouth sore shouldn't really be a problem this round (cross your fingers). We are hoping to be able to keep her home until next weekend!! Monday she has a clinic visit and blood transfusion scheduled.

Every time Rod or I walk through the door Jessica and Jane are there in an instant hugging and kissing us and holding hands--then they just follow us around and keep saying, "we miss you so much!!" We've been rearranging schedules etc. to be able to spend more time with them. There's a great organization called 'Super Sibs' that is dedicated to helping the siblings of cancer kids--it also has a guide to help us know how to make them feel loved and special. So many people helping families get through these heart wrenching experiences--it still amazes us--the cable guy was over here yesterday looking at our connection and he just kept saying, "I have 4 kids, it breaks my heart." Complete strangers offer to pray for us or put us on their churches prayer roll. We are so grateful for good people, family and friends.

3rd round of chemo

2008-08-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

Gracie started her 3rd round of chemo yesterday. We came home Thursday evening and had to be back to the hospital at 2 o'clock Friday. Grace was not happy. She knew we needed to go back to the hospital but she thought we would be able to come home that same day--sort of an outpatient thing. When she realized that we were staying for a week she just began crying, all energy gone, she just sagged. She's tired of it. I have to admit, every time we bring her home I have this overwhelming desire to throw her in the car and head for Mexico or Europe or somewhere and just make it all go away. As if sandy beaches would cure her. I feel like if we pretend it's not happening it'll stop and we can go back, she'd be smiley, bouncy Grace again, and we could forget all about this nightmare we can't seem to wake up from. But she still has cancer and needs more treatment. I can hardly stand it and yet, it must be so much worse for her.

None of us would be able to cope at all if it weren't for all the love and support we've received. I don't know how to express forcefully enough, or just enough, enough how much we appreciate all that you are doing for us.

Thanks--thanks--thanks!!!!

Blood and Fever

2008-07-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

Late last night Gracie's fever went to 102 and after consulting the doctor were sent straight to the hospital where we found that her Hemoglobin and Red Blood Cell counts were dangerously low. She got her 2nd blood transfusion along with platelets too. Her fever continues to go up and down according to her Tylenol doses. Her electrolytes were off from dehydration--she wasn't taking in enough fluids the last couple of days. This afternoon we found that her White Blood Cell count is beginning its rise so we are hopeful that her fever will break and her mouth sores will heal quickly. She is on morphine again but she is comfortable and sleeping better than the last few days. It looks like her White Blood Cell count will be high enough by Wednesday and she'll start her next round of chemo on Thursday or Friday.

Have a goodnight--We'll update as soon as we can.

Some Rough Water

2008-07-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been a little rough. Grace did get some swelling and mouth sores--but her temperature hovered between 99.3 & 100.9--thankfully, it never reached 101.5 (that's the cut-off for her to be hospitalized)!! We've been able to semi-control the pain with a Tylenol/hydrocodone mixture! She'd be pretty good and comfortable for an hour to 2 hours, but by 2 1/2 hours she was uncomfortable and by 4 hours when her next dose was due she's been beside herself. And then the cycle starts again. This is how she was last time when her mouth was beginning to heal--her mouth is already beginning to slough off--it's painful and she's really tired, but it's been drastically better than last time. We've been able to be at home and sleep a tiny bit better--even interrupted sleep in your own bed is better than at the hospital. It's really hard to see her in pain. She just keeps doing her best, she gets frustrated easily when we don't understand what it is she wants or needs. But she has all her blanket's and stuffed animals and cards around that help her feel better. Sometimes when we walk into the room she'll just be looking at the posters we've made out of all the cards and well wishes she has received. She'll reach out and touch it card or picture. It helps calm her down and she's able to rest.

We appreciate all the support, help, love and prayers we continue to receive.

Home

2008-07-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

We are home. It's so nice to be home--it's so much more relaxing than at the hospital. Her 2nd round went well. She's a little weaker this time. However that medication for her mouth sores (Kepivance) is working well. It's kind of holding them at bay, so she doesn't have a full blown attack!!! Hopefully, we'll get to forgo the morphine haze!! We just found out today that her next round won't start until day 21 of this cycle and we are on day 7 right now. We really hope we can keep her fever free. Because there's no place like home.

2nd Round

2008-07-15T14:09:00.000-07:00

Well, thankfully her mouths sores are on the mend--her white blood cell count came way up--YEAH!!! But it also means that it's time to start her 2nd round of chemo.

We were admitted to the hospital on June 15th--one month later we have been at home only 3 days (including today). Tomorrow it's back to the hospital for a week. The chemo she gets this week is exactly the same as the last round. Gracie's doctor gave her a medication that is approved for bone marrow transplant patients that helps with the mouth sores. The medication is taken 3 days before and after chemo. She will only be able to take it one day before and 3 days after. It's more important to start her next round than to prevent the mouth sores. But the next time we have this chemo scheduled she'll get all 6 days of the medication.

She's doing really well, she gets tired quite quickly but we were able to have a small party for her birthday last night. Lots of Tinkerbell--plates, cups, napkins and even a cake!! Half-way through her party she had to go lay down. I have to say she slept so well last night without anyone checking her vitals or administering medications all night.

Sunday was the first she had smiled since the mouth sores started but yesterday she laughed--it was awesome to see her giggling and smiling.

The unknown of this is difficult. We were thinking we'd have her home for a week or so but it just didn't work out. Hopefully, with the new medication we'll have better luck.

Jessica and Jane came home yesterday!!!! Everyone was happy to be all back together. My mom came also. We are so glad she can help us right now. Jessica and Jane will be able to have some stability.

We shaved Gracie's head--her hair was falling out by the handfuls--afterwards the nurse came in and said--"Wow!! that new haircut really makes your eyes pop!!" I said, "Sinead O'Conner has got nothing on you!!" And the nurse replys, "Gracie, 'nothing compares to you'." ha ha ha
Very funny!! (if you are too young or old--"Nothing Compares to You" was Sinead O'Connor's hit song)

Fever Strikes!!

2008-07-10T17:37:00.000-07:00

We went to a doctor's appointment on Tuesday morning. Gracie's red blood cells were too low and she needed a blood transfusion. She began to run a fever that was higher than 101.5 and that's the cut off and she had to be hospitalized. Over the past couple of days her fever has been up and down. The highest it's been is 103.3 and the lowest is 99--she is hanging in there. She's actually in a morphine haze, which I think is good. Hopefully, she won't remember too much of this. She has really bad sores in her mouth--they cover her entire mouth--it's pretty gross!! Her mouth and gums are swollen and we learned that the lesions are in her throat as well. The morphine she is on is for managing the pain from the sores. They think her mouth will start feeling better in a couple of days. She's pretty out of it. She hasn't eaten for 3 days, (Monday afternoon was the last time she ate) she started on IV food this evening.

It's so hard seeing her in so much pain. I'm too tired myself to think of something funny right now. I'm sure I'll come up with something--then I'll add it!!!

Grandpa Cluff came to visit today and brought Grace a bright sombrero from Mexico!! He brought Jessica and Jane one as well. We'll get a picture of all three of them and post it as soon as possible.

We hope this finds you well. We would be remiss if we didn't say thank you for the many care packages, food, friendship and especially your prayers. There's been so many days that the package or food or note or phone call or email was exactly what we needed. There is no way for us to thank all of you enough.

Oooh!!! Gracie's hair has begun to fall out--it's kind of weird and it doesn't hurt for it to fall out so that's a major bonus!!!! It's a bit itchy though. She's pretty sure she's going to be cute bald, we'll have to wait and see.

Have a super evening.

Fund Established for Grace

2008-07-08T18:11:00.000-07:00

The Cluff Family has blessed the lives of numerous people through their kindness, service, and caring. They have borne the burdens of many throughout the years. Now, we feel it is our turn to lighten the burden that the Cluff family is now bearing.

How We Can Help
First and foremost, Grace needs our prayers and faith. Nothing can substitute for that.

Another way that we can lighten their load is by lessening the large financial burden that results from the treatment of such diseases. We all understand how expensive the cost of health care can be.

We are asking that you consider donating to assist with Grace's medical costs. In order to simplify the process of making a donation, we have set up a fund in Grace's name at Wells Fargo Bank. We chose Wells Fargo because of the large number of locations that they have throughout Texas and the Western U.S.

The simplest way to donate is to visit a Wells Fargo Bank. Let them know you want to make a contribution to the fund for “Grace Camilla Cluff” (make sure to give them her full name). Checks should be made payable to “Grace Camilla Cluff”. See below on how to find a Bank location near you.

There are numerous other ways to make a donation (i.e. we can send you an envelope and a deposit slip to mail in, you can mail a check made out to “Grace Camilla Cluff” to us and we can deposit it, etc.).

If you have any questions, or would like more information on the other methods of making a donation, please don't hesitate to contact us by sending an email to: enscarfment@netzero.net

Thank you for all your love and support,

Darren and Victoria (Melissa's sister) Carpenter
enscarfment@netzero.net

To locate a Wells Fargo near you:
Go to their website (http://www.wellsfargo.com/) and type in your Zip Code in the area entitled “Find ATMs/Locations” on the left-hand side of the web page.
Call Wells Fargo at 1-800-956-4442, and select “0” to speak with a representative.

Too Soon

2008-07-05T06:25:00.000-07:00

I guess we spoke too soon on Thursday night. Friday was the worst so far. She had terrible headaches from the lumbar puncture. The nausea kicked up a notch and she couldn't keep anything down. She is very fatigued. They only allowed Rod to bring her home once all of that stabilized (at least it stabilized). They came home about 8:00pm. We will be able to keep her home as long as she doesn't develop a fever or begin to vomit and other yucky stuff we will spare you the details of. If any of these happen it is right back to the hospital. We want to keep her home so we are forcing the fluids and watching her temperature closely. She is a sick little girl right now. This is the first we have seen her without any good moments in a day. The plus side is she does not speak. How many times have we wished for our kids to be silent????? Silence means "Yes" and a grunt means "No". That's the most we get from her. Oh, yeah we forgot about "Aaaaahhhh" it means there is something she wants and we have to guess until we get silence. Of course she did tell Vicki in the night "I need to go potty" and this morning she told her "I'm hungry". So, we know she hasn't lost the ability to speak. Whew!! That was not a side effect they mentioned.

First Round of Induction Chemo

2008-07-03T19:35:00.000-07:00

This week has been stressful watching for signs of side effects to the chemo. There have been a few bumps in the road but thankfully it has gone better than we anticipated. She has done fantastic other than begging to go home every day and not wanting to take any more pills. Last night was the first Rod spent away from the hospital. When he got there from work Grace and I were both in the bed crying. Grace was having chest pains and I couldn't take my baby crying. After the pain medication took affect both of us were better. Rod decided he was more worried about me than Grace and took me home, it was nice to spend time with him. My sister Victoria stayed the night with Grace. I'm so glad she could come and help us.

We received a gigantic stuffed bear in the mail 2 days ago. It takes up 1/2 of Gracie's bed. She is going to be so excited when she comes home. There was no note so whoever you are, thanks. The generosity of all those around us continues to make me burst into spontaneous tears (of joy and gratitude).

Grace is scheduled to have a lumbar puncture again tomorrow morning and her 5th round of Chemo for the week. Then if all goes well, and her tests come back ok, Gracie may be able to come home tomorrow (July 4th).

We really want her to be home this weekend because we have definitely had our fill of Disney Movies and the Disney Channel. I (Melissa) think my brain is even mushier than before(if that's possible)!!!

Hopefully, we'll have her home for 10-15 days--as long as she doesn't catch a virus or something, then back to the hospital for her next round.

We hope this finds you well--Have a great 4th of July!!

And so it begins....

2008-06-28T19:07:00.000-07:00

Ok. I never wanted to 'blog' but here goes. I'm starting this because our youngest daughter Grace, 5 years old, was just diagnosed with cancer and I needed an easier way to reach all of you.

So, other than feeling like we've been run over by a Mack Truck, we are doing all right. We don't even know how to thank everyone who has helped us through the past couple of weeks. It's been overwhelming to realize how many people love us and are concerned for our little family. Grace is doing as well as possible, the type of cancer she has is called Burkitt's Lymphoma. It's an aggressive cancer but also one of the most responsive to treatment. The mass on her neck is now almost undetectable (it used to be the size of an egg). She had that mass biopsied on June 16th--we found out it was malignant (cancer) on the 18th and found out it was Burkitt's on the 19th. The chances are amazing for this type of cancer--over 85% success rate!!!!! She had her central line (a Broviac--for anyone who knows about them) put in on the 23rd and while she was under sedation they also did bone marrow aspirations from both hips, a lumbar puncture and started her chemotherapy "reduction phase". We found out that her bone marrow and her spinal fluid is cancer-free!!!!!!! Her cancer is level 3--4 is the highest but she stayed a 3--hip-hip-hooray!!

She begins her "induction phase" of chemotherapy Monday, June 30th. She will be in the hospital Monday-Saturday at the very least. From what we understand, this next week will not be pleasant, it will be hardcore, hair falling out, nausea, etc, etc. We will try to post news of her condition as often as possible. My sister, Victoria, is here helping us figure out how to get organized.

We would have starved the past couple of weeks without the meals and snacks that were brought in from, the Stone & Handy families, the Pearland Ward members and the Barton Creek Ward members. The hospital staff could not believe the balloons, activities, stuffed animals, coloring books, cards and all things helpful that Grace (and we) received. From Q-tips and coloring books to a new camera, we can't believe the outpouring of love and concern. From across the country to next door, people have been praying and helping us more than we will ever be able to repay. We are so grateful for family, friends, church, co-workers and neighbors. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. That doesn't cover how grateful we are but it's a start.

Gracie's big sisters, Jessica and Jane, are incredible--they have been sensitive and worried and trying their hardest not to be jealous of all the attention Grace has been getting. They made her posters and cards to help decorate her hospital room!! They have come to the hospital to participate in activities to help Gracie feel better. They have been bouncing from family to family every other day so mama and papa could be with Gracie. Jessica and Jane--You are amazing!!!!!

These pics are from her most recent hospital stays.