Cool story

I found this link over at this blog. Kyle's son Tyler is in remission from Burkitts and his dad blogs about it. Not only does he keep everyone updated on Tyler, he is an advocate for childhood cancer and updates about others who are battling with the disease. I have been following Ryan's story since Kyle posted about it. Ryan and has family have recieved some devastating news but it is so encouraging to see what the Blue Jackets are doing to fufill some of his dreams and also shift his focas away from his painful reality. I urge you to check out Kyles blog and the link to the ESPN story. While I have cried many a times reading about the battle many kids are facing with cancer, I find that it really helps me appreciate my own children's health more and it deepens my faith and prayer life to know that only God has the power to cure them. Kyle has also provided many links to help us be advocates as well in helping acquire more funding for research for these childhood cancers. So read up, pray for these kids and hug your own. Be thankful for the days God has blessed us here on earth and don't waste them. I encourage you to reference posts about Miles Levin. The wisdom and perspective this teenager had as he battled cancer was amazing and inspiring. Thank you Lord for the blessing of my children, thankyou that they are healthy and help me to not waste or take for granted the time I have with them.

Sanibel 2009

Well we were fortunate enough to go to Sanibel again this year. This was Mike and I's 10th year together and Abby and Will have gone since birth. We always have a fabulous time but it is usually a ton of work because the kids have been little and required so much attention. I am happy to report that this was the first year it actually felt like a family vacation and I am forever grateful. Thanks to my inlaws for allowing us to come and stay with them in the condo they rent, it truly is a blessing. We stay at Pointe Santo and it is super family friendly. It has a pool for the kids, easy and quick beach access and a clubhouse with daily crafts for the kids. This year I ran into a mother of one of Abby's pre-K classmates from last year, how random is that.

The flight to Sanibel was perfect, we had a great parking spot, we didn't bring car seats this time(rented them for an unknowingly insane amount from AVIS, just got the bill!!), the kids pulled their own carry on bags and we ate dinner at the airport and the kids were perfect. We arrived Friday night this year instead of Saturday which was a huge advantage as we got all day Saturday to enjoy the Island. The kids loved the pool and swam well with their swim vests and Abby was even able to swim short periods of time without it. The water was very comfortable in the pool which made playing in the pool with the kids even that more enjoyable. Thankfully my father in law loves to swim and he helped alot in the pool as well. Mike's cousins also played in the pool with the kids and took pictures with their waterproof camera, hopefully I can post some of their awesome pics soon.


We were able to go out to eat with the kids several times this year because they are much easier to entertain now. Nona and Papa took the kids to Cheeburger Cheeburger, then we all went out to The Bubble Room on Captiva and The Sanibel Grill. All the food was great. Mike and I went out to eat with his sister and her husband one night to Traders and I got the Sea Bass, this was my first time trying Sea Bass and it did not dissapoint.

I will continue to post some more pictures and other funny stuff from our great trip in the next post.

I'm still here

Just got back from a wonderful trip to Sanibel Island with the inlaws, aunt and cousins. It was a blast and will post pictures soon. Have some funny stories as well. Just wanted to encourage people to pray for Stellan and visit his mommy's blog for the full scoop, just click on the button to the left. His mom has a great blog and Stellan has been through alot in less than a year. Pray for his heart rate to stabilize and for his mommy to get some much needed comfort, advice and rest.

New Discoveries

Well kids never cease to amaze me. What a sense of wonder they have and the simple things cause much awe. I know who the creator of this wonder is but as I get older I find that sometimes I allow the cares of the world and my circumstance to squash my wonder. My son prompted this post as we were sitting on the couch together yesterday. He was sitting with his feet on the couch, knees bent and says " I didn't know that I had hair on my knees!". Oh the simple discoveries of life. Thank you God of wonder for allowing the new things my son discovers to prompt me to seek the same for me. Thankyou that your mercies are new every morning, that you are a God of wonder, miracles, blessings and second chances.

Happy St Patrick's Day

***Remember to scroll down and pause playlist music, for some reason the audio is quiet on this video***

Top of the Morning, actually evening to you. We had a great St. Patricks weekend and a wonderful concert by Abby this morning. On Saturday we went to the Dublin St. Patrick's day parade. I was completely enthused, the kids, not so much. I learned on Saturday that my kids do not understand proper parade edicate. We are usually out of town for all the Holiday parades so my kids were not too sure what the big deal was. I had to practically shove the kids out in front of the crowd for them to get some candy. I was totally psyched about all the free candy but my kids were more scared by the crowd and the thought that someone would actually give them candy without them asking for it. I guess sneaking it out of our pantry seems much more normal to my kids then it being handed out by a clown, go figure.
After the parade we headed to the Blarney bash where the kids did some crafts, ate some lunch and bounced in the blow up bouncy things. They overall had a great time but I am motivated to expose them to some more parades before they get to old to really appreciate them.
Today at school Abby's kindergarten class gave a concert for the preschool and the parents, it was 14 minutes long. They learned so many songs, their memory is amazing. I posted one song here for your listening pleasure. Abby it in the second row smack dab in the middle. She really is one cute leprachun if I do say so myself.
I am grateful today that I don't have to rely on the Luck of the Irish but only rely on my Heavenly Father. Thankyou lord for this great weekend of family time, we are creating such wonderful memories and are so thankful for the time you have allowed us to spend together.

Spa Day

Well this afternoon while Will took a rare afternoon nap, Abby had a wonderful idea. She wanted me to fix her hair like at a real hair salon. This sounded fun to me as I have always loved getting my hair done so we hit the ground running.


First I gave her a great scalp massage, followed by a shampoo. She requested conditioner as well so we did that.


Then I gave her a quick blow dry to get her hair slightly less damp for the next step


Then we decided to go ahead and get some curls going. She sat patiently as I rolled the curlers. She really was the perfect client. Very chatty and she sat super still.


Here is the final result. Doesn't she look fabulous. When I was taking the curlers out she was asking about why we didn't leave them in very long. I told her that if you leave them in too long the hair will get too curly and frizzy. She then says "You mean like Oprah". Yes Abby, like Oprah. Oh she is too cute. Thankyou Lord for this precious little girl who covets spending time with me. I love her so.

Shopping in a Recession

Well this topic was brought up over at Kelly's blog. She challenged us to list some great fashion finds under 30 dollars. There are a bunch of great ideas on her post so check it out. I personally have been into buying basics this year and less trendy. One of my favorite sites is martinandosa.com. They sell nice clothes as reasonable prices. Right now I am loving these things:



Each one costs 24.50 but they feel so soft and they are longer length which I love so I can ruche up the sides a little and hide my little love handles. This site also has some great sales and free shipping and returns. Get on their email list and they send coupons all the time. I have never paid full price on this website for anything.

I also like checking out ebay, I have gotten some great stuff for me and my daughter. I got Abby two beautiful christmas dresses this year from ebay for under 30 dollars total for both, I easily saved 60 bucks.

Thanks for the fun topic Kelly and for introducing me to the fashion going on at Walmart.