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The Adventures of T-Rex - Tristan Rex Rempel

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The Adventures of T-Rex - Tristan Rex Rempel

The story of Tristan Rempel as he goes through his battle with brain cancer. We know many of you hav

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06/24/2026

Today has been an interesting one. It started with a phone call from Liam wondering when I'd be home from work. Told him I'd be back at the regular time. Got home and found out the poor kid has been having periods of anxiety. Talking with him, he told me it's probably grief. Then at bedtime Caleb came to me and said he thinks he has PTSD from Tristan. Both boys. Both re-grieving.

It's hard going through the grief with them again. All the kids have done so well the last 3.5 years and it's hard watching the boys hurt as they get older. Re-grieving is something I was expecting and all part of the process. As the kids get older, they are able to understand more of what happened and are able to process more. This means having hard conversations and getting the counseling avenues opened again. Setting things back up incase they need the extra support.

Grief is such a journey and one that never ends. It morphs and changes with time as our lives continue to get bigger around it, but it never fully goes away. Thankfully this time I am much better equipped to help the boys and have a better understanding of what they need, making the process a bit smoother than last time.

05/27/2026

We have reached the end of an era. The jungle gym that brought so much joy and healing to the kids has been passed on. We are starting to let go of a few of Tristan's things as we make room for our future.

I am excited to pass it on knowing other kids are going to be able to enjoy it just as much as ours did. It also helps it went to a good friend so I will see it every time I go over.

05/16/2026

Well it has been a while since I've given any life updates or news, and it's not a bad thing. Life has continued to be busy, but at the same time not much has happened or changed, which is a change in of itself. After years of living in survival mode, things are feeling somewhat "normal."
The kids are doing great with school and having me work most days with Matt.

Jordin had a psyc ed assessment done a few weeks ago and we found the results from that last week. It confirmed what we already knew with a few positive surprises. She's a bright kid (which we knew) and her reading and math comprehension is above average for her age :) She was formally diagnosed with dyslexia, but her hang up is in the coding of language rather than comprehension. This means it will be easier to teach her the finer mechanics of language structure and words and there are lots of supports to help her with it.

Liam has been doing well with his CRMO and had his IV meds last week. The flare ups are few ans no where near as bad as they used to be. He has been more active, which is nice to see. He also has an autism assessment coming in the summer.

I have been asked a few times why we are getting our kids tested for the various things. I've had comments from people assuming I want the diagnosis for the sake of having the label. The truth is I want my kids to succeed in life and I want them to understand how their brains work. The diagnosis allows us as parents to make accommodations and advocate for them. It also allows the kids to understand themselves more, making it easier to self advocate. We had to change our parenting for Tristan and had to make accommodations for him, and the other kids are no different. Only their disabilities aren't easily seen.

03/04/2026

Living with intention. It's something I've been thing a lot about lately and something I have managed to forget about.
For the two years we had Tristan after his second cancer diagnosis, we lived with intention. Every trip, every event, every mundane day was lived in a way that made sure we maximized our time with him and the other kids. We made sure the kids got the emotional support they needed and we lived the day-to-day thankful we had our bubbly, silly kid. We also made sure our other kids didn't look back on their time with Tristan with resentment and deep sorrow. We lived with intention.
Tristan has been gone for 3 years now and in that time survival mode kicked in and I lived moment-to-moment, worried about our future, feeling unsettled and very unsure what was next for our family. I lost perspective on life. I shut down the part of me that wanted to dream and see all that life can offer. I stopped being intentional with my time and energy. I found myslef not wanting to do things that brought me joy, or being with the kids. I allowed myslef to become lost, even though I knew I had a new direction I wanted to go, and new purpose. It wasn't just grief, although that was a factor. It was losing perspective on the bigger picture.

I usually choose a word for the new year, and I may have but don't remember, but this season is for living with intention again. To settle where I am and continue to help my family thrive where we are placed. I'm excited about the new opportunities coming our way this year and can't wait to start my own projects once we get the store fully going. I'm excited about finding those pieces of me I forgot.

01/20/2026

Well it has been another whirlwind of a week. Last Tuesday was a big day in more than one way. It was Tristan's 8th birthday, 3 years since he passed and the grand opening of our little shop. We decided it would be the perfect way to celebrate and honour Tristan by opening the store that's named after him. After a busy day, we ate sushi, the boys had pizza, watched a movie and had cake. The perfect way to end a great day. To top it off, we had an amazing sunset that night. Bright orange and yellow.

It still amazes me how 3 years has passed and not a day goes by without something reminding me of him. And it's not just the store. He seems to be a part of the mundane, everyday things. A quick stop at a store, cleaning up the house, even putting dishes away. There a small reminders everywhere of him. Lots of them are intentional. I purposely bought dishes with mickey mouse on them, and I still have some of his hats hanging up, but most are unexpected. A random toy in a corner, a lost sock, or even something as simple as a cup of his favorite coffee. I love how much of a positive impact he made in his 5 years and how he continues to make an impact even with him gone.

01/04/2026

Happy belated New Year's! I usually am on top of reflections from the past year, lessons learned, being greatful for another year. This year I need time to think. To take in all that has happened, not just this year, but the past several. The last few months have been busy. There hasn't been much time to slow down and breathe. We have finally come to the end of a crazy butchering season and are able to slow down.

The last several years have been hard. Losing Tristan was hard, helping the kids get through that fist year was hard. Not knowing what our future held was hard. Having plans constantly change and having to figure out what was next for our family was hard. I lived with one foot out the door, not knowing if we were going to have to leave the place that has become home. I let myself drift away from friendships, hoping it would make the transition easier, not realizing I was isolating from people who mean a lot to me. I was also pulling my kids away from their friends without realizing it. Living constantly in the unknown scared me and I wasn't sure how to start over in a new place, or even continue in the life we had here.

Once we got the lease on our shop building, everything changed. We had a solid direction to go, our company was expanding and life didn't feel stagnant. My energy returned and I started trying to get the kids together with their friends and tried to stop isolating. Then came the craziness that comes with starting up something and there wasn't time for anything. The break in happened and as much as I tried to be upbeat and not let it get to me, but the frustration was discouraging and it was hard some days to keep going with the same enthusiasm that we started off with. Spending so much time away from home was hard (I applaud families with 2 working parents) and I often struggled with feeling like I wasn't a good mom. What I didn't realize at the time, was the kids have grown up so much and understood what we were doing. Sure they missed us, but they willingly took on more responsibility at home.

Which brings us to now. The fall rush is over and rest is on the horizon. Plans that have been in the works for years are starting to come together and what started as a small side project is turning into something more than I had imagined. Turns out people go out of their way to pop in the store and we are starting to fill in gaps that we didn't know were there until now. I have been humbled by people's generosity and can't wait to see what this year holds for us.

12/22/2025

This holiday season hasn't turned out how I had hoped. We've had lots of unexpected twists and turns. Lots of ups and downs.

The store has been an unexpected adventure and become so much more than what I had imagined it would be. It has been lots of work, late nights and challenging.
With all the work, we haven't had time to put much into the holidays. I've struggled with wanting to make the season special for the kids. I feel guilty for leaving them and want to be home, but circumstances right now haven't let me.

In light of this, we decided to start something new ths year. After doing some research into the winter solstice, one of the traditions that stood out was the lighting of a candle at sundown and having it burn all night as a light on the darkest night. Caleb asked if we could light Tristan's candle. It seemed fitting as he was such a light on the dark days and shon bright.
The kids and I cleaned the livingroom, hauled the Christmas tree up, found some lights and put them on. Caleb grabbed Tristan's picture off the wall and at 3:57pm, sunset, we lit his candle. We then watched a couple of movies with crackers, cheese and a sampling of sausages from the store before heading to bed.

It was a good night. Emotional, but good. Things did not go how I wanted them to, but it was a reminder that I need to let go of expectations and enjoy the moments.

12/17/2025

The progression of Caleb's stuffed dog. It didn't turn out how I was expecting, but that was due to the pattern. My sewing skills have improved to the point where I didn't have to take out any seams!
I'm finding the hardest part of this project is the actual cutting of the clothes. The sentimental value on them is hard to separate from the main goal of the project. Once they are cut into the pattern pieces, they become pieces of fabric and are easier to work with.
I am amazed at how attached I am still to certain things. There's a pair of PJs that would make an amazing stuffy, buy I can't bring myself to cut them. Yet other pieces I can see the final projects when I look at them.

Each of the stuffies will have a small pouch with some of Tristan's ashes in them. I'm not going to lie, it was a bit weird putting them into the little baggies, but I know the kids will love the idea of being able to hold their brother.

12/09/2025

Christmas has been challenging the past couple of years. This is the second Christmas we will be spending without our little T-Rex. Even the last Christmas with him 3 years ago was hard. Grief has somewhat clouded my favorite time of year and I am finding myself, once again, struggling to put the tree up and get the festive decorations out. And this picture was on my Facebook memories today. My smiling, goofy, Christmas loving kid.

This year has the added stress of our little shop being broken into and the frustration of having to postpone our grand opening. The added stress has me wanting to take a page from Skipping Christmas and doing something completely different. My heart is heavy and Matt and I are both tired.

The up side is we have snow ❄️ (or at least for now) and I'm loving it. If nothing else feels quite right, the fact we have snow before Christmas is helping. And even though our house may not have decorations, or little shop does, adding a bit of cheer.

I know this is Tristan's favorite time of year. He loved the lights and all the excitement. I also know the kids love this time of year too (even if they no longer believe in Santa). I also know in a few weeks as we get things sorted out at the shop and decorate our tree, I'll get back into the spirit and excitement. But I also know I need to allow myself to miss him and not push the grief aside.

12/07/2025

Today I received this incredible gift. It was from the wife of a client and I love it. Because nothing says Tristan more than a TRex holding bacon 😊

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