Just us

A little look into our evening.

(The music is all the way down at the bottom on the right hand side of the blog if you wish to pause the music so that you can hear the video.)

Julien was able to sit right up front and get the video of Addie and I think he did a great job!

Kim was there to take pictures of Addie and to share in this very special time with us.

Julien and Kim wanted me to be able to sit and focus entirely on watching Addie and didn't want me to have to worry with taking pictures or videoing.

For that, I am so grateful.

Watching Addie was just so beautiful!

She did a great, great job and even her teacher was so very proud of her!

Please remember that although Addie is behind her classmates, each step she takes is just beautiful to us!

I hope you enjoy this little look into our evening!

One More Miracle Moment

Moments like these just don't happen.

Moments like these are miracles from GOD.

These moments are possible because of prayers that never cease and because of a GOD that continues to bless our lives.

He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.

Job 9:10

74 hours after Addie was born, we were sitting across from Dr. Dudgeon in the exam room at Greenvale Pediatrics.

I was wearing my maternity jeans, black maternity sweater and black slip on shoes because nothing else fit.

I was without my wedding rings, earrings or make-up.

I was incredibly swollen, in pain and trying desperately to look deep into the eyes of a doctor from whom I needed answers.

We were talking minutes before those fateful words came out of his mouth, the words when he told me that it was "hard enough recovering from having a baby and major surgery, much less having to take care of a special needs baby".

I was telling him that it was okay if Addie never became a ballerina, that we would find other things in life that she could do.

I meant those words and I said them without tears because I somehow knew that those words rang true.

Ten months later, I sat in the parking lot of Hobby Lobby talking on the phone to a beautiful woman who I had never met.

My voice was shaking as I was telling her that we should not use flash when taking Addie's upcoming pictures and that, yes, it would be so special to us if she took a picture of Addie wearing a tutu (because that may be our only opportunity in life for that to happen).
Kim was placed into our lives to be a part of a miracle yet to come.
Tonight, it was Kim that captured that miracle for all the world to see.

A big deal in our little world

Tonight we have a "big" event to attend.

It is an event that we never, ever thought we would find ourselves at.

I will have lots of pictures to post (eventually) and hopefully can at least get one that gives a little hint of the event out on the blog later tonight.

It's going to be emotional and I can't wait to share!

You guys know that I am not a crier, but I'm thinking I just might need my waterproof mascara and some Puff Plus tissues....

and you just may need them too!

(I still have lots of Spring pictures to post, so stay tuned for those as well.

It's going to be a crazy, busy weekend!

I will probably be playing catch up for the next week or two!

Lots going on!)

Spring flowers

This photo is embedded deep in my heart.

Sweet Addie is holding out the flowers to hand to me.

Such a sweet girl!

I love this picture.

It shows Addie's sweet, beautiful smile!

Silly Baby Girl with a flower petal on her thumb...

and holding the flower petal up for Kim to see!

Funny, funny Monkey!

Pictures courtesy of Kim at Kim Sharit Photography

Every once in a while

I manage to get something right.

Chunk-Chunk and I were at Publix the other day, had just finished checking out when the bagger insisted that she help us to the car.

As the bagger was unloading the car for me, I was busy unbuckling the Chunky Monkey from the shopping cart.

As I lifted Chunk up, she turned to the bagger and said, "ank yuuuu" - which translates to "thank you".

I was just so darned proud!

I didn't have to prompt the little Monkey to say "thank you", she just did it!

Since that time, it doesn't matter where we are or what we are doing, Chunkus manages to know exactly when to say "thank you" without any prompting.

She must have said it 300 times the other night at our local Mexican Restaurant because each and every time our water glasses were refilled and each of the five times she got a new spoon because hers was now gracing the floor below her highchair, she would speak those beautiful little words without any prompting.

In all of her delays and in all of her "typical" toddler behavior, her sweet manners are just shining through!

Wow...it feels good.

J-Rod

My Baby Boy...

He is such an amazing big brother and son!

I always hate that Addie has tons more pictures than he does.

It is the age though.

He won't have his picture taken all the time, so the pictures I do get, I cherish!

I know, I know!

I just keep saying it...but I just can't get enough of seeing her standing and walking.

She makes me so proud!

Sweet and simple

This wasn't a planned picture.

We were walking by and had the honor of meeting Scarlett, the new baby horse (thanks for reminding me of her name Kim!!!)!

She was just the sweetest little thing!

Sweet Addie

Here I go again...

The blog is under construction.

Updates are being made over the next few days, so if things look totally out of whack, it will hopefully be corrected soon.

ALL new pictures that are being updated on the side and the header are courtesy of Kim at Kim Sharit Photography!

(The new header will be courtesy of Diana at Custom Blog Designs - I'm always impressed with her patience with me - if you guys need blog help, Diana is the one to provide it!)

You guys know how much I love Kim!

Watch the blog, I have lots of pictures to update and it will take a while to do!

Thank you, thank you, thank you Kim for being so wonderful!

I just have to say it...

***For all of my male readers out there - you can skip right on over this post or better yet, call your wife/girlfriend/friend and ask them to make an appointment (they will be impressed and you may even earn lots of brownie points with them).***

We all know how important mammograms and monthly self breast exams are...right?

Good.

If you haven't made your appointment for your yearly mammogram or baseline mammogram, now is the time to do it!

Receptionists just love when patients bombard them first thing on a Monday morning to schedule routine exams ~ so you should all do your part to contribute to a receptionists Monday morning mood!

Pick up the phone and make that call and then make sure you keep your appointment!

The girls will thank you for it.

I know I don't say it enough

My husband is wonderful.

Here are two small examples.

Last week my car needed gas. He came and got my keys from me at work, took my car to fill it up and then when he parked my car in the parking deck, he backed my car in so that I wouldn't have to back up and pull forward 221 times trying to get out of the parking spot and then he brought my keys back to me.

The other morning (while I was upstairs getting the little Monkey ready for school), Chris got Monkey's snacks, drink, braces and shoes packed into her diaper bag and then took her bag, my purse, my drink and my carry all bag down to the car for me. He pulled my car out of the garage, left it running for me and then waited on us before he left - just to make sure we left the house okay.

Do I realize how lucky I am? You bet I do! I make sure to extend my "thank yous" and my "I love yous", but I don't broadcast my appreciation enough.

So~

Good Monday morning to the best husband in the world.

I appreciate you and I love you!

P.S.

I fully realize that your awesomeness is endless and that you do those things for me each and every time it is needed but other people don't know that.

Donna - This post is for YOU!

We're making progress!

I haven't been pushing Addie to learn to drink from an open cup.

I have just been taking advantage of opportunities where she appeared interested.

I guess my approach is slowly paying off.

We see progress.

It's not perfect, but we are just as happy as can be that Addie can wrap those sweet little hands around a cup and bring it to her mouth to drink.

That is a huge milestone that we were prepared to never meet!

LOOK - LOOK - LOOK - DONNA...

Can you imagine the amount of praise she is getting at each attempt?

She is so proud of herself!

Blood and lack of tears

Our beautiful morning outside wasn't without incident.

As we were finishing up and about to head up to the front of the house, Addie lost her balance, in the driveway of all places, and fell right onto her knees.

This resulted in two injured legs, with blood quickly coming to the surface.

We continued up to the front steps and sat down to check out the wounds.

Addie didn't seem to mind that her knees, all covered in dirt, were now bleeding.

She was just concerned about sitting and watching neighbors walk by with their dogs.

After several minutes, I just couldn't take it anymore and insisted that we go inside.

I had to give her a bath and clean up her boo-boos.

She was fabulous!

She didn't cry when I washed her legs and she didn't cry when I poured peroxide on her boo-boos.

She was extremely interested in the selection of band-aids in the first aid box and was more than happy to put on her dress so that she could look down at her boo-boos no less than three million times every five minutes.

After nap, we headed out to the safety of the sun porch to enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

Addie-Pa-Tattie was excited about counting the fruit and trying to name the colors!

It's therapy even when she doesn't realize that it is.

She is such a hard worker!

Do you think she knows...

that I thank GOD that I was chosen for her?

Do you think she knows how much she is loved?

Do you think she knows the joy she brings to others and that if I had it to do all over again ~

that I would?

Moments

Quiet mornings like this don't happen around our house very often.

I hope that will change soon.

They are moments I like to remember.

A few random shots

Our little tree that we planted the first spring in our house. Still hanging in there!

Is there anything more beautiful?

Than the smile of an angel?

Helping her Daddy

Once Addie made it around to the driveway, she held the wheelbarrow so that Chris could put more bags in.

The wind was blowing and made her laugh and laugh!

~See the deer in the background?

That poor deer is missing an ear and has been through so much!

Julien found that deer shoved to the side of the lawn and garden center of a local store when he was three years old.

Even at the age of three, Julien had the heart of gold and just couldn't leave that poor injured deer, so we took her home.

Working so hard...

trying to keep up with her Daddy!

The mulch that Chris buys only comes in bags instead of by the truckload, so it took seven trips to the driveway to unload 25 bags of mulch - which barely covered half of one of our flowerbeds!

Addie wore herself out trying to keep up!

She started out trying to run...

but then soon realized a brisk walk would have to do!