Tis the Season:)!!

The season is upon us. Time for turkey and fa la la la la. It is my favorite time of the year. The weather is cool, but most of the time it is still bearable. Everywhere you go people are still in the Christmas spirit, AND I get to eat Auntie Em's sweet potatoes (from the Mayberry cookbook). Yes, they are my FAVORITE part of Thanksgiving. It's the only time during the year that I get to eat them.

It is also my favorite time of the year because Mr. Snowman gets to make his appearance in the front of our house where he is lit up by all of the other Christmas lights that surround him. The day that we put our Christmas lights up is NOT my favorite day of the year. It comes with high tension...and extremely high ladders (which I always get talked into going up). However, by the end of the night...the beauty of the house and the glow of the lights warms my heart. It is another reason that I love this season.

We lit up the outside of our house last Sunday. This was the first year that Emma insisted on "helping". She got RIGHT in the middle of the lights and wanted to hand them to "mama". PERFECT! It may have added a little more tension to an already intense day, but the joy on her face when she knew that she helped made it all worthwhile. Here is a picture of our little helper elf. I hope you all enjoy this part of the season as much as I do!

Blast from the "past"

I know that Emma's broken arm happened over a month ago, but I just downloaded the pictures and I had to share them.

Here is Emma. She broke her arm at noon the day before, spent 5 hours in our local ER only to be told that we had to drive to Denver, drove 9 hours (through a MAJOR snow storm) to get there at 3:30 AM, "slept" for 3 hours, then got ready for her big surgery. Still, laying in this bed, getting ready to go into the ER, she wants Mom to "smell her feet" and she has a HUGE grin on her face (her arm has been broken now for 18 hours!!!


The wonderful attire that you get to wear if you are the fortunate one to accompany the child to the ER until she falls asleep. We'll never leave your side until you know you are safe little one. Oh, so the clothes scare you???? (remember Mom and Dad are running on little to NO sleep...and the "clothing" is not very flattering)!


Coming out of surgery to.....one of the same nurses that we had post transplant!!! Amazing!!! However, this time she has juice...AND she gave me a PRETTY purple cast!!! OH, and my belly doesn't hurt:).


As long as I have my buddy Elmo to help hold my arm up....life is GOOD!!!


After I got out of the hospital...I got to see my friend Ronald McDonald...and I actually LIKED him this time!!!


3 weeks later, my cast is off, and I'm back on my wild way! I'm running, jumping, and LOVING life:). My mom says that she wishes EVERYTHING was as easy as my broken arm:)!!!

Angels Among Us

I'm feeling a little emotionally empty right now. I never would have imagined that I would know so many children that would be gone from this Earth at such a young age. It just makes me wonder WHY? These children have struggled, they have fought such a difficult battle, still...they die? The parents are left to wonder time and time again what their child would be doing today...if only. Yes, you hear the typical..they are in a better place, they are not hurting anymore, they are with God. However, the parents are left here with a huge gaping hole in their hearts, and the big question....WHY? A parent is not supposed to bury their child. That is not the way it is supposed to be. It just makes me angry. It leaves me feeling helpless. What do you say to the parent that is grieving? I do not know what they are feeling. I have thought numerous times that I might become the person that would know what they are going through, fortunately my child is still here today. What do you say to the person that is living their worst nightmare? I'm so sorry just doesn't seem to cut it. Oh how I wish that I could turn the clock back for these parents and make the outcome for their sweet children different.

Godspeed Little Jackson and Dillon. May peace comfort both of your parents as they try to endure the pain of their loss.

Happy Halloween???

I hope that you all had a wonderful Halloween. Emma had so much fun! She was absolutely terrified of all of the masks, but she was so excited to be Elmo....and she was SO cute (not that I am partial at all). Here are a couple of pictures (if I can get them to work....Flickr has been a little temperamental lately).



This one was the day BEFORE the broken arm:). I was standing behind the camera, pointing to my chin, and telling her to smile. She is such an imitator:).