Life as a Leach

The kids enjoyed their pizza... ...then we sang "Happy Birthday" to Abs.  Yep, those candles are in a pudding cup.  It's a Paula Deen recipe that probably has more calories per tablespoon than her Pediasure.  :) One day, I will be able to sing "Happy Birthday" to Abby without crying.  This was not the year.   Here's to many more teary-eyed "Happy Birthday" songs, Abs!

These three cuties, who are all just about the same age (they are spaced out about 2 months apart), loved playing in the Wind Tunnel that was at the bounce house.  We never paid the money for them to actually feel the wind; they just liked being inside of the big plexiglass door.  They had so much fun!!

Dear Abby, Today is your third birthday.  At exactly three years ago today, you came flying into this world and quickly stole our hearts with those big black eyes you had.   Three years old, little girl!  Where did the time go?!  You have SO much personality, and you are living up to your name.  You truly are  a joy to everyone you meet.  Even strangers who have no idea how much you've been through in the last three years comment on how much of a joy  you are.  If they only knew! It is amazing to me to see how far you have come.  Three years ago, my only prayer was for God to let us have you for a just a little longer.  No one thought we had much time with you, and I tried so hard to cherish every second.  I took so many pictures because I didn't want to forget your face.  I held your little hand and tried to fill a lifetime of love into those first few terrifying days.  I vowed that no matter how much time w...

Abby's 3rd birthday party was at an indoor bounce house.  Based on the smiles, I think they all had fun.  Uncle Bruce was hiding in the moon bounce! Stay tuned for lots more pictures of Abby's party!

Recently, we went to a local pumpkin patch with our dear friends for some fall fun! We went through the corn maize, allowing each child to take turns leading.  We also learned that Caleb...and Matt...have a hard time letting other people take charge in leading.  I think they were afraid of getting lost.  Abby definitely has my sense of direction! We played in the corn pit, which was a huge hit with all of the kids! The two little ones (just 5 months apart and in the same Mom's Morning Out class!) loved the hayride! I finally convinced Abby to ride the barrel train by riding with her.  It was just a little crowded! They all loved the playground and big drain pipe slide.  I was pleasantly surprised at how many times Abby went down the slide by herself! Each of the kids picked out a pumpkin...a big decision, to be sure! One of the last things we did was play in the hay pit, which was a big hit. ...

Remember Emily?   She's the young adult with CCMS that we have been fortunate to get to know over the last few years.  I talked to her mom for an hour the other night, and I can say we are blessed to have a family who gets our life.  It's really interesting to the surgeries and therapies she's had and get a glimpse of what could be in store for Abby.  We don't typically have any indication of what Abby is going to need in the future, so learning about Emily's journey is as close as we will ever get!  Plus, she is such  a sweet girl with a huge  heart.  Just read a little of her blog! We've been saying for quite some time that we would really love to meet Emily in person.  So, a month of so ago, we started really planning!  After our recent conversation, we have chosen a date and Emily is going to come visit for a long weekend!!! It means so much to us that this college student wants to give up part of her winter break to hang out wit...

So, I ran to Walmart tonight for a few things I really needed (read:  I couldn't run my overflowing dishwasher because we were out of detergent...and I don't wash dishes!) :)  It was supposed to be a quick, relatively easy trip.  We were also shopping for toys for Operation Christmas Child , so the kids were excited to pick out toys for the two children for whom we are filling shoe boxes.  Fairly painless, right? Just as we walk in and head to the cart rack at the entrance to the store, two punk kids with scary masks over their heads start acting up.  Abby has a ridiculous phobia of slight fear of masks, which typically results in a lengthy meltdown, "That's so scary!" repeated a few hundred times, and heavy stimulation to sooth her.  Today did not disappoint. I just kind of rolled my eyes at the punks and hurried to our cart, figuring I could calm her down once we were out of their sight... ...until they started chasing Caleb. He was screaming, sh...

Stay tuned for lots of pictures from our day at the pumpkin patch!

We had a great time at Sesame Place during our quick trip to Philly!  Abby discovered her love for Abby Cadabby (except when the wooden cut-out is the same size as her, apparently!) She now insists that her "real" name is Abby Cadabby, not Abigail. Caleb rode his very first "real" roller coaster...twice...and loved it!!  We would have gone again, but the line was too long at that point.   Abby really liked Elmo too, and we even watched a show with all of the favorite characters...and Elmo as Michael Jackson dancing to "Thriller."   Both kids enjoyed climbing the cargo nets, although Caleb went a lot higher than Abby!  I'm secretly kind of glad she didn't want to go up too high...it freaked me out a little! They both loved riding these push-pull trains.  We were impressed by how much Abby could do on her own!  You can see her look of determination! While Caleb did some of the rides...