blessings counted

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

We hope that everyone has a great thanksgiving and takes a special moment...a real moment...to think of all you have been blessed with in this life, this year, this week. Things may not always go our way or on our time schedule, but it is important to remember that He is at the heart of all of our blessings, and our blessings in disguise.

God keeps His promises...

5 months old!

Harper passed his 5-month mark and we celebrated our 5-year anniversary!

Chad sent me beautiful flowers last week for our anniversary - red and yellow roses, I had never seen anything like it - they are amazing!!

We hope everyone has a great thanksgiving...we all have so much to be thankful for.

quick update....

Wanted to send a quick update before I felt like time got away from me!!



I was lucky enough to participate in some state-wide training for the ACS (American Cancer Society) this weekend. Janelle and I presented a course to 50+ about leadership/development "type" stuff for team captains for the Relay For Life. We had a good time...since we were focusing on "team" stuff we had a sports theme and we 'sported' husker gear for our session!!! Janelle even out did herself and got us the little black things for under our eyes!! This is our "football" pose! We look tuff, right?!!



I am very excited to share with everyone some awesome recognition Platte County got this weekend at the event. We were the #3 event in the STATE of Nebraska for money raised! We had over $216,000 for ONE event! The #2 and #1 counties had over $400,000 but also had four or five events. Yeah, we rocked!!



Other awesome news...and this is owed to a LOT of you reading this now...Charli's Angels was the #3 team in the STATE this year!! That is amazing!!! WHOOP WHOOP!! We really proved that our county can run with the "big dogs" in Nebraska...heck, we are one of the big dogs :-) I am super honored to be able to be co-chairing the event again next year!

lost memories

A fun perk of having a great friend have a baby the
same time as you is sharing in all the things that the kids are doing! Another fun perk is when you have the opposite babies at the same time. I have a friend who has a 1 year old boy and a 3 month old girl. So...we swap the kids' clothes to share, it is great :-)

I was going through clothes last night for miss sadie and got to the 6-9 month tote. Grrr, what a weird thing to make a person remember things! I was about half way through the tote when I saw an adorable green and white shamrock dress. This is the dress that Charli wore down to children's the day we were admitted. All of a sudden each outfit was marked by some kind of memory surrounding the hospital, treatments, tests, etc. I am so glad these clothes will be making far better memories on Sadie!

It is amazing to me how much I forget, and how much I remember. Also amazing to me is how I can realize things that I forgot...if that makes any sense.

Another thing that gets me, is after all of this time, it can still occupy so much of my life and my heart. ...it is a lifetime membership - yet at the same time I didn't think the feelings would always feel so fresh at random times. I know that some of you reading, sadly, know what I mean. And, others of you think I am nuts. I wish there was a way I could adequately put it into words, I guess kind of like "husker nation" for some of us...this is also just 'in my blood' now.

We were not able to attend Landon's benefit this past weekend, broke my heart. Charli was running a fever on Thursday and Friday morning and I just felt it was irresponsible to take her even a few days later. I know for a fact that
had the tables been turned I would not have wanted anyone doing that to us! I so badly wanted to be there to support Courtney the way she was there to support me at Charli's benefit, but I know she had a lot of loving arms to hold her up that day!! Still so weird that she is going through this now too...I mean seriously does this kind of thing EVER happen. We are like a BAD lifetime movie! But hey...any lifetime movie makers out there, if you pay us enough we could fund some major research if you give us a movie deal ;-). Just sayin'.

looking for a good home...

I have a few baby items that are looking for a good home! If you or anyone you know are in need of new bottles, please contact me. We have probably 10-12+ Playtex vent bottles that need a new home! I believe they are all the 6oz size and we both the "standard" and "wide" design. I would much rather these get used by someone than packed away at my house! We bought them all this summer when Harper was born, so they are all less than 5 months old.

Spread the word and let me know if they have a new home to travel to!!

trick or treat!! :-)

Does anyone need some extra candy?!! We seem to have surplus of it at our house.

This year was going to be Charli's first year of "full" trick or treating...but we had a last minute change of plans. Her two girl cousins (Ryen and Macey) happened to pick the same costume as Charli, so all three girls were going to travel around together! But, Macey ended up getting sick with the cruddy stuff going around :-( Charli still had fun though. We went to her Aunt and Uncles house to hand out candy and then went to trick or treat at the farm. Just as we drove into the farm dad told us that he had cattle out, so we literally threw the kids in the house and took off to move cattle. Typical life of a "farmer", doesn't really matter whats going on - cattle come first!! :-) It was Chad's first time doing this for my dad, so it was kind of fun to see him help! I haven't ran that far in a long time, luckily the cows turned in the drive way on their own, and I didn't have to run the entire way :-) All 61 were safe and sound at the end of the night!!

Anyway, hope you all had a nice Halloween and made some great memories with your friends and family too!! As you will see, Charli is Minnie Mouse and Harper is a dinosaur!

Harper - Charli - Braxton

"been trick-or-treating long"?!

two little thumb suckers...well three if grandpa could have gotten ahold of his hands :-)

Colton - Charli - Harper....poor Harper! Colton is thinking...man, rough life!

Colton and Charli. He was a football player that played baseball he told me!

Harper - Charli - Braxton

Minnie

ROAR!!

no comments on which mask if the scariest...

just the two of 'em :-)

she tried to life them after we carved them...the lids kind of come off!!

i tried to get her to eat the goo...she wasn't into it!

"she can dig it"

her exact words..."mmm, smells like lemonade"

Charli's pretty hair, courtesy of Lynn!

she is "so strong"

for the record, I am so mad at my camera. A great picture of the two of them and for some reason my camera "ate" 1/3 of the picture :( On Friday Charli dressed up in her halloween garb from grandma and grandpa preister and Harper was a "hunter"!

even wearing hunters orange! Believe it or not...this was a hand-me-down from his sister :-) (I didn't realize how many boy clothes she owned!!! I guess I thought if you put pink with anything it would girl it up, if the occasion called for it!!)

hey little buddy!

Not too much new at our house. Charli goes to the dentist and Harper had his 4-month check. He was in the 50% for his weight at 14.1 lbs and 95% for his height at 26 3/4". His "melon" was 40%, which we thought would be bigger :-) He did well with his shots, cried until he was picked up...but then was done.

Harper is not old enough for the flu vaccines yet but the rest of us have been covered to help protect him a bit. The flu mist was available in town first so Charli did that, and did it like a champ. Chad took her and said that the mist made his eyes water (some say cry, he says "water"!) but didn't phase her. Harper will be able to get his shot in December, but H1N1 has been hitting our town pretty good, so hopefully having the rest of us covered will help keep him healthy too!!

Charli is big into taking toys and things to daycare each day and on Thursday she picked out the build-a-bear bunny that her daycare made her while she was in the hospital 2 years ago. I told her that she could take it because I thought Lynn might like to see it again, and told her she got it when she was in the hospital. A little later I asked her if she remembered why she was in the hospital and she looked at me and said "the cancer". She has no idea what "cancer" means...but she knows she "had it".

Big trick or treat pictures to come next I imagine! We are not 100% sure what our plans our...but either way I know Charli will get too much candy!

harper in his hat and mittens

Charli eating her donut...which was as big as her head - literally

she just walked up to the box of donuts and grabbed one, this is the look she gave me when she was busted while eating it!

getting ready to build a snowman with daddy!

last friday morning charli woke up and saw it was snowing. She wanted to call her daddy to tell him so I dialed the phone and handed it over. And the end of the conversation I was told daddy was coming home from work to play in the snow. 20 minutes later, he walked in the door! They played in they snow and then he came with for Harper's appointment. We got to have lunch together without any kids, which hasn't probably happened for years...and he went back to work. What a guy.

so happy to see it was snowing!!

IT SNOWED!

she loves to entertain him!

getting ready to go to church.

Still to this day if I tell her I want to take her picture, she goes to this spot!!

chilling while we get his sister ready for bed!

this is how I found him. already in training....

but it sure made him a happy monkey!

I tried about 3 times to get this rotated, and it would always post this way. sorry :-)

"two girls" as Charli refers to us as....

playing with dad at the shop....

the baby blue and light yellow sure don't make him look too tan :-)

earned blessings

I walked away from church on Sunday feeling really good about the message I heard and I wanted to share it.

Our message was about earned blessings...or rather that there are none. The bottom line is that good things happen to good people, but bad things happen to good people too. Those of us who faithfully pray, attend church, and do all the right things still have bad things in our world. Those of us who attend confession, take communion, attend every mass there is, and volunteer for every cause there is will still have bad things that happen to us. That is life. It is easy for us, myself included, to fall into the "why me" trap and wonder why our God could do "this" to us. But it is important for us to remember that we are but a small piece of God's puzzle and "who are we to question His plan"?

There have been many times in my life that I have asked "why does this happen" and several times I could have screamed at the top of my lungs "why has God done this to me". I am not saying I haven't asked these questions as I cry myself to sleep a time a two - but it never ceases to amaze me how down the road the picture can be so crystal clear.

In 1999 Chad was in a "terrible" accident. I was one week past turning 18, I was not equipped to deal with that. And, if I had to do it again I am not sure so sure I could! But, I was just naive enough to manage without much damage to either Chad or I. While in college I would often double as college student and girlfriend/nurse when needed. Weeks before our wedding I had surgery to have my thyroid removed because of a "tumor" that my doctor found, which turned out to be nothing more than a scary cyst. A week after that Chad had a pretty invasive surgery (again) and we weren't sure how he would make it through the entire big day of our wedding! He was sick on our wedding day, and suffered through our first dance!! These are the little things that seemed kind of big at the moment! Then...Charli was diagnosed with cancer. I quickly realized that all that "crap" we dealt with to make it through Chad's ordeal was simply 'on the job training' for what our life was going to go through in the coming months. Having said that, it does kind of make me worry what that was training us for!! But even now, I can see the good Charli has done through her cancer. The lives she has touched have been countless and still counting.

God works small and large miracles and while sometimes the blessings and curses can be the same, in the end God is always there to pick us up and dust us off to start new. And it is important to realize that we are not in control, we have never been in control. None of us get what we "deserve", as our pastor put it Sunday -- none of us deserve to be where we are, we all have what we have because we have been given gifts from God. Our education, knowledge, skill set, and personal traits are all gifts from God, He gave them to us, deserving or not. I can only think of how different my life would be if I only had the things I "deserved" rather than the abundant gifts from God I have.

I am sorry if this was rambling...I just really wanted to share the message from Sunday and the entire time he was talking about blessings all I could do was hold Charli, look at her, and smile in amazement of the blessing God delivered in our first born and wonder...what have we done to deserve this, and then I was quickly reminded that I didn't do anything, she is a gift.

i love you "THIS" much :-)

We have lots and lots of pictures to share!!

Charli is full of energy...and starting to become SUCH a show off. Mom, Dad...I am sorry for everything that I can remember getting in trouble for when I was 5 and 6. But really, I was 5 and 6, not 3!!!!!!!!! Anyway....

Today was a fun-filled day for Charli! After church we went back in the afternoon for the fall festival and she has a great time! After too much sugar, the down-hill slide of that and tears we went to visit the goats! She got to spend some time with grandma and grandpa and that "made her happy". Tomorrow starts another week full of our new wonderful life of four :-)

Harper cuddled up for a nap at grandma and grandpa's with grandpa's Harley Davidson blanket! I am not saying he is going to be a rider or anything, but grandpa...he fell right asleep when that orange and black was snuggled on him!


they seem to speak the same language :-)
(and that is "we love grandma"!)



the first and maybe the only picture of the three of them!! Sorry your eyes were closed grandpa, but since Charli was not even in the house it was a moment far and few between!

Look how happy she makes him!! If only she would understand that he needs some "space"!

TOES!!!!!!

no words needed here!

baby blues

hello there!

he was so happy tonight!!

the two kids playing...holding hands...while over-protective dad watches in the background!! ;-)

these two are best buds!

many people think that his eyes will stay blue?!! Charli's are going from green to brown, so we will see!!

baby kittens were there today too!

Charli and Daddy!

Charli and Liam

Elizabeth, Charli, and Liam getting ready for the hay-rack-ride

BOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

getting ready to play musical chairs!

ahhhh!

the pumpkin she made!! Curly hair little monster!

eating the cookie she made!!

making it with such detail!

making her spider with all different colored legs! spooky!

where is Harper!!? There are so many sitting places on our living room floor it is hard to know where either of them may be at any given second!! But, if you need help he is in the green chair in front of the curtains - he is the boy in blue and brown strips!

Harper in his all Micah outfit!! the hat, pants, and shirt are all his! Thanks Trisha :-)

Charli let Harper lay in her beanbag chair from her cousin Colton - she really is a great sharer with him!!

all Charli!! She is starting to look "funny" without her glasses on!

I can just see the love when these two look at each other. Let me rephrase that, I can just see the love "for now" when these two look at each other! These are the moments I will come back to in a few months when he is bugging her by taking her toys, ruining her lego tower, pulling her hair, touching her, etc!

yes Delaine...this is cereal. Sorry.

He was so happy to eat it, and did so like a champ. He is a growing boy, and all caught up in size to his cousin Braxton!

Harper's new bed?!! Do-Do-Do-Do-Dora!

GET OFF OF ME!!

so much love in one little tent!

mom....help me!!!!

sweet!