Weekend Update

Aye yai, yai, what a weekend.

How many ways can we spell exhaustion?

We just got back from Sun Valley and the big gala:  Share Your Heart Ball

to raise money for Camp Rainbow Gold (children's cancer camps).

It was incredible-- I can't wait to tell you all about it.

But you'll have to wait until tomorrow night.

For now, enjoy this photo booth picture of our family (minus Kean who stayed with Grammy

and Grandpa) and Jaime-- our favorite camp counselor evah!

 Friday evening I took the girls down to Boise State

for their 2nd annual Dance Marathon.

Over 500 students danced  non-stop from Friday afternoon

until Saturday morning to raise funds for St. Luke's Children's Hospital.

 Check out the names on the red shirt-- Kean was one of 11

honored children.

He was part of team red-- and had a whole host of young men and women

(and three Barker girls) dancing for him and others with severe medical challenges.

We did this last year and it was one of the highlights of our year.

Once again, we weren't disappointed.

This year we were joined by Jen-- one of Kean's child

life specialists at the hospital.

She has the coolest job-- she plays with all the kids

with cancer: games, makes crafts, plans parties etc.

People frequently ask me if he cries when he goes to clinic

for chemo.

Nope.  He cries when I numb his port up at home

(because he knows what is coming and I have to hold him down) but once he gets

to the hospital- he's treated like a rock star

(by Jen and the others).

And he's mostly happy.

 Players from the BSU football team dropped by to show their support

for the dance marathon.

 Make that, nearly the whole team.

And they were darling with the kids.

In fact, several of them said they were staying and dancing all night.

 We were asked to get up and share Kean's story with the students.

They were all so great and supportive.

We sure love those students at Boise State.

 Reese wanted nothing to do with going on stage to speak.

I'm not sure if she faked a stomach ache or she really did have one.

But once we were done, she bounced right back and was actually

bouncing out of control on several blow up contraptions.

 Little Miss "I'm too shy" to get up on stage, stole the show

by showing off her sweet dance moves...

 taking to the center of the party to perform...

 and even doing several swing moves with some of the BSU football players.

 She danced with so many students that I lost count.

The girl was even up on stage with the players,

grabbing the D.J. from the local radio station to get 

out and dance with her-- she was everywhere.

It was hysterical.

Little twinkle toes finally ran out of gas a little after eleven.

Thank heavens!

But the students kept on dancing well after we were at home and in bed.

We just heard tonight they raised a whopping 37 thousand smackeroos.

We loved it and loved that we got to be a small part

of such a fun evening.