Heart Walk 2011

Sunday afternoon, our family participated in the Triangle Heart Walk. This was my first time walking in this event & when my friend, Joye, sent out information about joining their team- I just knew I wanted to join! Not only does her son, Ethan, hold a special place in my heart, (i mean- seriously- the most adorable & fun 2 year old ever!), but the topic of Congenital Heart Defects runs really close to home. As in, we live with that here every day. Randy was born with a CHD known as Pulmonary Stenosis & we visit Duke each year for a physical & usually a cardiac MRI and/or EKGs, Echocardiagrams, etc! We are happy to say that so far, Randy has surpassed all odds when it comes to his heart valve! When he had his heart valve replaced when he was 12, they told him to expect a new one within 10-15 years tops. Ahem, he is 36 years old! He has had that same pulmonary valve for 24 years and still going strong! Yay, Randy! And thanks, Duke!!

We also have so much to be thankful for in terms of Heart Disease in this family. Back in 2009, my dad gave us a really big scare & ended up being rushed to the hospital & having 5 bypasses within 48 hours of his admittance! Then 6 months later, Randy's dad was in the hospital for the same thing- only his was a triple bypass. It was a scary year! BUT they are survivors. The story could have gone either way & I am blessed that the Lord didn't take them from us.

It's reasons like this that I decided I wanted to walk in the event. As my friend Joye put it, "It's all about raising awareness" and if I can do even a little to raise awareness of CHDs then I will do that. Seriously, did you know that nearly 1 in every 100 babies born has a Congenital Heart Defect? I was floored when I learned this. 1 in 100! That number is astonishing. I think it makes me realize that I take these sweet boys health for granted...

Our whole family of 4 walked, as well as Rebecca & her girls, and my father-in-law joined in as well! We all walked as part of Team Ethan who is quite the special boy with quite the special story! He is the true meaning of the word survivor & his story reminds me so much of our cousin, Whittni who passed away the very same day Jackson entered into this world. I guess Heaven was making room that day.

Here is one of my favorite pictures of Whittni, who passed away age 8 after a long complicated battle with her own CHD. This was her at my high school graduation party...

You need to read Ethan's story to get a true sense of how special life is & see just how the Lord can work in mysterious ways. He may have a lot of scars under his shirt, & a very special broken heart, but he is so incredibly full of life & may I mention, smart!!! ?? Oh, my! Go here to read all about Ethan!

It may have only been a 3 mile walk (or a 1 mile walk if you were Randy & the kids!) but it was moving to see so many people in one place for a common cause. And it was humbling to see all the red "survivor" hats in the ocean of people! Survivor.... I am blessed to know so many on that side of Heart Disease! I love you ALL!

The sweetest little walker (or rider!)

Go here to see the video news clip covering Team Ethan!

Another Pinterest Success!

I am loving Pinterest these days! There are just so many ideas out there & not enough time to do them!

The day before school started, I "interviewed" the boys because I had seen a great idea on Pinterest that I wanted to copy! And since I recieved a coupon code for 50 free photo prints from Shutterfly, it forced me to go ahead & edit the photos to add the text! Here are the results! (you can click on them & it will enlarge!)

Now these aren't quite as cute since I had to mark through some info. I don't really want just anyone knowing where my kids go to school & all for safety reasons. But I plan on scrapping these pictures at the next scrap retreat & will also add them to the boys "school albums". I have started one for each kiddo & have done something similar (no interview) in the past years. I have always taken a first day of school picture & then added their own handwritten name to the page so they can see how it changes over the years! Fun stuff!

Supporting Our Troops

Hello, everyone! This post is going to be one of those where I ask for your help! :)

I was driving through the bank line today when I saw a posted sign advertising a drive to collect supplies to send to our troops. My mom happens to work at this same bank (obviously at a location in her town), so it hit me right then! Why not get the word out & ask others to help & I can help collect as well. So that is precisely what I plan to do!

SECU Supports the Troops 2011! If you would like to help, just browse the list below & pick up a few items for the troops. It can be as simple as a travel size toothpaste or as fun as a deck of cards or a travel size game. You might even have some extra soaps, etc hanging out under your bathroom sink! Any SECU bank is a drop site for these items, but I thought I would take a big load to them from those of you who want to help. So, if you want to donate, bring me your items by Wednesday, Oct 19th. I will be seeing my mom that weekend (yay, for the mountains!!) & I will give her the collection to take back to work with her. Sound great!?

Thanks for your support in advance! I know the troops will appreciate it too :)

PS- please know that there will be another collection at a later time that will be Todd specific... these supplies will go to troops all over.

Here is the list straight from State Employees Credit Union:

2011 • WISH LIST • 2011
for
“SECU Supports the Troops!”

All donations should be new and must be able to fit in a 10” x 10” x 5” box.
We need travel size products only to maximize the number of items we can include!
Please note: We cannot send any items in pressurized (aerosol) cans or glass containers.

Food Items

Snacks (individual packages of crackers, cookies, trail mix, protein bars, dried fruit,
nuts, beef jerky, hard candy – no chocolate that can melt)
Powdered drink mixes (small, individually sealed packages)

Toiletries

Shampoo
Deodorant
Bar soap
Lotion
Toothpaste
Toothbrushes (individual packages)
Dental floss
Disposable razors (small packs)
Moist towelettes
Sunscreen (SPF 50)
Insect repellent wipes with Deet

Medicine/First Aid

Band-aids
Antacids (small packages)
Tylenol/Advil/Aleve (small bottles/packages)

Clothing

Socks – above the ankle/crew (white or black)
Toboggans

Entertainment/Miscellaneous

Decks of cards
Travel games (small handheld size only)
Puzzle books (small handheld size only)
Post card size stationery/pens/pencils (no full-size notebooks or paper)

Things to Ponder

About 6-9 months ago, I read a book called Crazy Love, by Frances Chan.

It was life changing.

It made me look at my life- living for Christ in a completely different way.

It was humbling.

It was uncomfortable.

It was convicting.

It took me out of my comfort zone.

It made me realize just how selfish I really was. And it made me see that there was more to life than this pretty little "American Dream". What is that, really, anyway? What is the point? HE wants more from us. Who cares about a cush house to live in & a pretty little savings account? God wants us to strive for more (or depending on how you look at it- less). He wants service, devotion, and love. Not just for Him, but for others that are less fortunate. He wants us to show HIS love through our love of others & less love of ourselves. THAT is tough cookie to swallow.

I have been wanting to read another book called Radical by David Platt that I knew was along the same lines or at least a good complement to Crazy Love & then I stumbled upon this blog post tonight while reading through some blogs i follow. It was like I was led there for a reason. I have been struggling with the same questions and trying to see the picture that God has in store for my life & not the picture I have in store for my life. That's an even tougher cookie to swallow.

Take a moment to read Patrice's post. I promise you won't regret it.

I have been trying to make baby steps into getting out of my comfort zone. Taking the kids with me to buy a cold drink & a snack & take it to a homeless man on the corner... you know.. things like that. But really, I know I can do more. The challenge is now to decide what.?? I know God has more things in store for me if I will just open my heart & listen!

Next up on my reading list....

Anyone have a copy to loan? :)

Second Year of Soccer! Go Hurricanes!

Eli decided that he wanted to play soccer again this year! I was pretty excited about this because I think he is pretty fun to watch! Something about little kids running up & down a field together kicking a ball & looking totally adorable in their shin guards & jerseys! Eli is # 7 this year & has definitely gotten a better coach than last year! He actually teaches the kids what to do - now there's an idea for a coach, huh? We actually requested this coach because he is the father of a boy, Nathan that Eli took speech with. So we have known the family for a few years. Eli was totally excited that Nathan was going to be on his team! Here is Eli getting some direction from Coach Steve before the first game.

Right off the bat at the start of the game, Eli gets the ball & heads down the field with it! Goal!

After the goal, he ran right back to Coach Steve for a high five!After a few more minutes of play, it was time to switch out with the rest of his team mates & his turn to sit on the sidelines. He wasn't so sure about that! :)Once he was back in, it was on! It is really funny to see the kids compete with one another for the ball... sometimes even those on their own team!He had the ball a LOT during this game, so I got a lot of pictures, but I will only share the ones where he kicked a goal! Yep, he kicked in another goal towards the end of the game!

I love how he is mid air in this shot (too bad that other kid is halfway covering him!) He was so proud of himself when he got that second goal! He came right over for big smiles for Mom & Dad!I had a lot of fun getting action shots with my camera. This was the first real situation I had been in to work on that. I didn't get every shot right, by any means! But at least I didn't have blur & caught the action! Gotta start somewhere! I can't wait for the rest of the soccer season! I just know Eli will have a blast! And it helps that he gets snacks at the end, right?

Oh, Zack!

It's been awhile since I posted about Zack so after going through my cell phone pics, I knew it was time. Apparently, I take a lot of pictures of him with my phone! :)
Here is an update on our almost 2 year old boy...

1) Homeboy as taken. over. the. couch. Period. He thinks he owns it. He gets very confused when we make him get down. (which I will admit to almost having given up on at this point!)

2) He has taken a liking to tennis balls! We discovered this while we were visiting at Grandaddy & Grandma Tee's house. He had a tennis ball at home that he never played with. But all of the sudden, he is obsessed!

3) He also continues to eat every stick he can find. (Grass, too, unfortunately!)

4) I am happy to report that his relationship with Lola is progressing. FINALLY. After almost 2 years of being in this family- he doesn't automatically chase her when she comes in the door. (Now, if he is going out the door & spots her in the yard then all bets are off!) He even stands still long enough to let her rub against his legs from time to time! It is kinda cute - he looks really confused because he has no idea why she does this. He would get it if she licked him, but rubbing he doesn't understand! :) A few times, she has even stood her ground on the bed as if to say, "I was here first! Tonight is MY night!"

She still doesn't trust him though... as you can see above... she keeps her eyes on him at all times!

5) He has also taken over our bed. (Which is why the discord with Lola above). He thinks the bed is half his. If I even sit on the bed, he hops right up & lays down as if to say, "Ready to snooze?"

He also likes to throw his arm around me to snuggle! :) What can I say? He loves me!

6) Boy, oh, boy does he love the boys. No one can get him "riled up" faster! He is just like a kid, himself, so he thinks if they are somewhere- he is supposed to be also!
He even hangs with Jackson during thunderstorms until he falls asleep in the hallway! Since he wants to be where they are, he gets unnerved when they go outside & he is left indoors. He jolts back & forth from the downstairs dining room window up to the playroom window over the garage when they get out of his sight from downstairs. It is comical. There is usually whining involved too. He pure props his head up on the window sill & doesn't budge until he doesn't see them anymore & then moves to the next window! Such a protector!

7) He might be more well behaved than he used to be, but he still loves mischief. Yep, this picture is blurry because it is of me catching him in the act! He steals tissues, dryer sheets, & overall trash from the bathroom cans & then makes a bee-line for the underside of my bed where he can't fit well, but tries anyway in order to keep me from taking things out of his mouth. He is a mess!8) Because of this kind of behavior, we still crate him when we are gone and at night. Well, not ALL night because he snuggles with me until Randy comes to bed! But he isn't the greatest fan of the crate. He never whines or makes a lot of fuss, we just get a slow moving boy as soon as we say "let's kennel up!". He gives us a pitiful little look too!

He has really calmed down though & is a good companion. He wants to play but not nearly as much as he used to. I don't know if this is age or his enlarged heart. I am thinking the latter just based off of previous interactions with boxers. He lays around the house much more than not & just prefers to lounge. And let's be honest, I am okay with that!

Hot off the Press! A Snaggle Tooth!

Jackson has had a loose tooth for MONTHS! I have never seen a loose tooth hang around so long (or cause so much drama!). This isn't the first tooth Jackson has lost, but for some reason he has been quite worked up about it. Tomorrow was the first retainer adjustment for him, so he knew there was a real possibility that the dentist would snag it on out since it was hanging from a thread, literally. So tonight was the night. That sucker was coming out! Jackson really wanted to get it out all by himself, but after a lot of snatching & bleeding, snatching & bleeding ...

and still no missing tooth.... Randy took the reigns & got that sucker for good!

Jackson wasn't so sure about the tooth fairy actually coming in his room while he slept... so he left his tooth fairy pillow propped next to a fabric bin just inside his door! :)

Isn't that pillow adorable? Thanks to Aunt Becca, of course!

All that snatching & pulling was a lot of work for a buck!