Halloween and Thyroid Issues

We enjoyed celebrating Halloween with a few little events over the past few weeks.  I have some pictures to share from those events.

This year, Drew wanted to be Mario, and we thought about getting a costume together with a few things we had around the house.  We also contemplated making him a Mario kart out of cardboard, but in the end, we found a cheap Mario costume on Ebay and just went with that.  All I had to do was cut out a felt mustache and stick it on him. 

Maddie's costume was another inexpensive Ebay find.  She was a cow, and we really loved her little costume.  She looked so cute! 

Out first Halloween event was at the mall.  We went over to the mall with some friends one afternoon after kindergarten for a little Halloween show and trick-or-treating at the participating stores throughout the mall.

Mario and the cow, ready to go into the mall.



Little cow.

Checking out the mall fountain with his friends.

Mario with his friends, Jake and Peter Pan.

Maddie and her friend, Ella, the lady bug.

Trick-or-treating through the mall.

One of the trick-or-treat stops was in the pet store.  The boys liked looking at the puppies.

Maddie entertained herself by trying to eat her stroller.

The day before Halloween, our church playgroup met for a little costume party.  Maddie has just leaned to stand up, so while she was practicing this new skill, I got to get a picture of her little cow tail.

The whole group.

Since Halloween was on a Wednesday this year, we took the children to visit the relatives that afternoon.  We stopped by Jim's sister's family business where we were able to see several family members.  Drew had a fun time visiting with Aunt Sharon in her office.

We also went back into their shop to see Uncle Larry and the rest of the guys.

Our last stop of the afternoon was at Jim's mom's apartment building to see her and Jim's aunt, who also lives there.  Grandma Esther got Drew a big bag of Skittles, his latest favorite.

The trick-or-treaters.

Maddie was happy to be able to get down on the floor and play for a while at Grandma's apartment.

Jim came over from work and met us at his mom's apartment.

The kids with Grandma Esther.

Jim's aunt gave Maddie and Drew some candy, and Maddie enjoyed chewing on her wrapped Snickers bar.  It was a mushy mess by the time we took it back from her!

That evening, Drew had a pajama party at church, and he came home with another big bag full of candy.  He always manages to get tons of candy each year, and we have never actually trick-or-treated in the traditional way!
I would like to ask for your prayers this Wednesday morning, November 7.  I have a biopsy scheduled for my thyroid.  A couple months ago, my doctor noticed that my thyroid seemed to be enlarged.  He ordered some blood work and a thyroid ultrasound.  The blood work came back pretty good, but the ultrasound showed that I have a 5 centimeter growth on one side of my thyroid.  I met with a surgeon, who recommended that I have a biopsy done to determine if the growth is benign or cancerous.  If the biopsy shows that the growth is benign, then he recommends removing the half of the thyroid where the growth is.  If the biopsy is inconclusive or if it shows that the growth is cancerous, then he recommends removing my thyroid completely and having a radio iodine treatment to totally kill it.  If my thyroid is completely removed, I would have to go on hormone replacement therapy. 
We are praying for conclusive results from the biopsy so that we can make the best treatment decisions possible.  Even if it ends up being cancer, there is a 98% survival rate for thyroid cancer patients, so even the worst case scenario is not terrible.  My main concern is really just for the care of my children during my treatment and recovery (since surgery is in my near future, no matter what the biopsy shows).  I am also a little bit nervous about the biopsy - I've never had one before.  I would appreciate your prayers, and I will let you know when we get the results from the biopsy!