Happy 5th Birthday Ashlyn

Our miracle girl turned 5 this past week. Her birthday was on Monday the 7th, but we didn't celebrate it until this past Saturday. She had a wonderful time. We ate cake and ice cream and opened lots of presents. Her favorite present was a Dr. coat with all the tools needed to take care of her patient.

I haven't updated in a while on how she is doing. She is basically back to her normal self. A few things that she has difficulty with is writing her name. She does a good job tracing it, but can't write it yet. She sometimes forgets words and it takes her a few seconds to come up with it. Other than those things, she is great. She loves school and is learning her letters and sounds, and learning to count things. She is always wants to do more school work when she gets home from school.

She is such a sweet heart and a delight to all her know her. We are blessed to have her as our daughter.

When I reflect on this past year, I am in awe of what God has done for her and us. I think about so many others Mom's and Dad's who lose their children and I wonder why God has chosen to save her. The only answer I can come up with is that God has an amazing plan for her life. I think about the peace that He gave to Todd and I. Peace that is like no other. It was like God putting His arms around us and whispering to us that He was with us, that He was with her and no matter what was happening, to trust Him. We trusted Him and He healed her and brought her though so much. She is a miracle. God is here with us and He does heal!

Thank you to all our family and friends who love her so much and who continue you pray for her. May God richly bless you this Christmas and may you have many blessings in the new year to come.

Stuff....

Ashlyn and Katelyn at Ashlyn's first field trip with school.
Katelyn being silly in the tub.

Me and my sweet girls.

Cute Katelyn.

Everyone in the family is doing great. We just finished the first marking period of school. I can't believe how fast it has gone by. Kiernan did really well. His overall average was an 85. He has difficulty keeping organized, but he is working hard at it and it shows. I am very proud of him. Preston continues to do well in 2nd grade. He is still slightly below grade level in his reading, but he is making great progress. Ashlyn is doing wonderful in school too. Her teacher says she is very shy. She is making great progress as well with all her therapies. The teachers all just love her. Katelyn is as cute as ever. She just loves drawing. Which would be great if only she would keep it on paper and not on my walls, bed, books, etc.

As Thanksgiving is approaching, remember to be thankful for all the little things. Even if you are going through a difficult time. There is always something to be thankful for.

God Bless!!

Trick or Treating

Wonder Women
Ashlyn, Rita, Katelyn, Jordan, Michael, Isaiah, Preston, Kiernan

Snow White

Ashlyn

Having fun!

Getting lots of candy

Pumpkin Carving

Here are some pics of the kids carving their pumpkins. They had lots of fun!!

Happy Birthday Katelyn!

Katelyn turned 2 on Sept. 21st, but we weren't able to celebrate until this past Saturday. One weekend we were all sick the other weekend there was another family function going on. She had a fun party and loved all the attention. One thing that was so cute was that she wanted to try on all her outfits that she got. She would put one on and walked around for everyone to look at her. She is so cute.

It's amazing how fast a year goes. As I stated in my last post, Ashlyn was in the hospital one year ago at this time. It seems like it was just yesterday. It's coming up on the one year since her 4th heart surgery, Oct. 30th. I thank God everyday for the miracle she is.

One year ago today...

Ashlyn after her surgery one year ago today.






Sorry for the long delay in posting. Of course with a family of 6, life is always busy. Let's see...


Ashlyn saw her cardiologist last week and had a good visit. One year ago today she had her heart surgery (3rd). Can you believe it! I can't believe how fast a year goes by. And Wow, what a year it has been. As I reflect on it, I am still in amazement of our awesome God. All that He has done for our family. Ashlyn is doing so good. Her speech is about where it was. She is getting around with no problems. God is good.


This past week has been crazy. We have all been sick. First it started with Ashlyn is a fever and head cold that lasted about 2 days. Then Katelyn got it. Then Preston woke up one night throwing up. Then 2 nights later Ashlyn and I were throwing up. Then 2 days later Kiernan and Todd were sick. Oh boy, what a week. Hopefully we are past all this for a while.


That's what new in our home. Have a good week!

First Day of School

The first day of school was a success. Ashlyn did great getting on her bus and had a fun time in class. She goes 5 days a weeks for 2 1/2 hrs. a day.

Kiernan started middle school. There has been a lot of new changes, but he likes it.

Preston is now in 2nd and has a wonderful teacher.

Give Kids the World pictures.

Every "wish" child gets a star to put their name on and it goes on the ceiling of the castle forever.
Ice cream shop where we could have ice cream from 9am-9pm.

Ashlyn getting a hug from Minnie.

Ashlyn's star.

The day we arrived. This is our villa.

Great time in Disney!!!!

Mickey and Minnie came to the Village so the kids there could meet them.
Ashlyn giving Mickey a sticker.

Animal Kingdom, Dinoland.

Mickey ears!

The 2 princesses and their queen.

We had such a wonderful time in Florida!!! The kids had a blast and it was a great time to bond as a family.

We stayed at a resort called Give Kids the World Village. It is a place that kids and their families can go who have faced life threatening illnesses. It was a 2 bedroom large villa. The kids room had their own very large bathroom with jacuzzi tub. The village is in Kissimee, which is about 20 mins. from all the parks. We had a rental car provided for us by Make-A-Wish. We got free tickets to Disney (3 days), Universal Studios (2 days) and Sea World (1 day). Everyday Ashlyn had a gift left in her room by Give Kids the World. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner were provided by the Village. Most days we had breakfast and dinner there and ate lunch out. Make-A-Wish gave us an expense check before we left (which was a very generous check). This covered things like gas for the car, lunch everyday, souvenirs for all the kids, snacks everyday. The kids loved that they could buy something each day. We came home with 2 extra bags just filled with toys and souvenirs!!

It was a wonderful time and we were so blessed by Make-A-Wish and Give Kids the World Village. Enjoy the pictures!

Happy 11th Birthday Kiernan!

Yesterday our oldest son Kiernan turned 11. We celebrated by having a party with his cousin Isaiah who also has the same birthday. My aunt was kind enough to open her house so Kiernan could have a pool party. He had a great time. And yes, I can't believe he is 11. Where has 11 years gone?

This will probably be my last post for a while. We are leaving for Disney this Sunday and will be there for a week. The kids are so excited to be going (as are we)! When we return, we will post lots of pictures and tell you all about the trip.

Have a great couple of weeks and enjoy the summer!

Swimming

Ashlyn and Katelyn swimming tonight in the pool. They are both swimming so good and it is so cute to watch.

That's all for now. Enjoy the video.

Here's what's new...

This is what happens when Katelyn gets a hold of a marker. Do you see the green in her mouth?
This was a few weeks ago. How could I get mad? She looks too cute!

Playing with sparklers.

Hello to all our faithful followers. Sorry for the delay in posting. We have been busy.

Ashlyn has therapist come in everyday. She is doing really well. We are coming down to the last few weeks and then she will be starting school in Sept. We are still not sure where she will be going to Pre-K. It's either Circle of Friends in Ravena or Sonshine Preschool in Catskill. In Ravena she would be in school 5 days a week with more therapies. In Catskill 3 days a week with therapies also. We are pushing for Circle of Friends because we think with it being 5 days a week that would just get her more prepared for Kindergarten. We have a meeting on Aug. 14th to decide that. We will keep you posted.

Preston has been going to summer school for extra reading. He goes 4 days a week for 2 1/2 hours a day. He says he's having fun. The thing I like about this school is that they will get kids extra help even if they are not below the standard, but maybe close to the edge. I'm happy with the school district so far.

Kiernan and Katelyn are just having a great summer swimming at our pool, Aunt Robin's pool, and our public pool. Katelyn learned to swim with a life jacket. It is so cute to see her swim. She has no fear of the pool. I call her my future Olympic swimmer.

The other news is that we will be going to Disney from Aug. 23-29th. Thanks to Make-A-Wish. We will take lots of pictures and share them with you all when we get home.

Hope you all are enjoying your summer.