Happy Hearts

Fall Catch Up

I've gotten a tad bit behind in my blogging.  Amidst the dr. appointments, we've done a lot this fall and have enjoyed lots of fun family time together.  Trent and Maggie play together more and more and with that comes more and more fighting/arguing.  Maggie misses her bubby when he is at school and always wants to know when he is coming home.  Trent is doing very well in school (after a little extra discipline at home).  He can write his whole alphabet and is sounding out and spelling lots of words.  He has a lot of maturing to do before he starts Kg so I am very glad that he has an extra year before starting.  Maggie is quite the little "helper" and is as always full of life.  She is enjoying being able to eat lots of yummy food again!  This week we are working on getting her re-potty trained.  You may remember that my sweet girl potty trained herself the week before she turned 2.  However, this last surgery and the lasix and diuretics she's been on have really shot that one out of the water.  We have rearranged her med. schedule with hopes of being able to get her back in panties again.  Today has been a success so far and for that I am sooooo thankful! 

So, take a look at what we have been up to in the last couple months:

Trying their best to keep Ryan from going on his business trip

Maggie's first big time owie (other than surgery).  While Ryan was out of town, she fell off of the bar stool and her ear hit the other bar stool wrung as she came down.  Ouch!!!  She was mighty tough.  This picture doesn't even do it justice.  It looked even worse.  Poor Baby!  It's all healed up now, though.
 

Enjoying some spaghetti!  This girl can eat!

Ryan is so good at coming up with fun things for them to do! He's an amazing Dad.

Carving pumpkins on Halloween.  Trent wasn't very interested.

Maggie wanted a princess pumpkin so Ryan carved a crown.

Princess Cinderella

Trent, the famous golfer

My sweet nephew, Seth Robert, the Rodeo Clown

 

 

Miscellaneous Happenings

Well, I have definitely been doing a really poor job at keeping my blog updated and for those of you who are faithful to check for new updates... I'm sorry!  I blame it ALL on facebook, but I am going to do my best to at least post once a week.  That shouldn't be too hard.  Right?  So, I'm going to do my best to get you all updated.

We had an amazing time in Florida.  It was super hot but we survived and I don't think the kids knew any different.  They didn't know that Disney World could be enjoyed any other way so they had a blast.  I really will post some pictures as soon as I get them from my mom.  She is getting closer to getting them all edited.  I will save the vacation post until I have pictures.  I promise it will be much more fun hearing about our vacation when there are pictures!

I came home and decided that I needed something else to distract me from the pending cardiac cath and most likely surgery that Maggie will have at the end of this month so I am planning a house warming party which involves getting lots of little projects completed like...

TAKING THIS TABLE...

AND MAKING IT LOOK LIKE THIS...

 

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PICKING OUT THIS AMAZING FABRIC FOR PILLOWS FOR MY SOFA AND LOVESEAT...

 

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FINALLY SETTING UP MY BIG BOY'S BUNK BED

 

AND HANGING SOME THINGS ON HIS WALLS

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TURNING MAGGIE'S ROOM IN TO A SWEET LITTLE GIRL'S ROOM

 

 

 

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When I haven't been enlisting my very agreeable hubby to help me with the above projects, I've been doing fun things like...

SURPRISING MY SWEET GIRL...

WITH A VERY SPECIAL PRESENT SHIPPED FROM DISNEY WORLD...

 

Maggie's favorite thing at Disney World was the"tastle" so we surprised her with this very detailed castle.  It arrived about a week after we got back and boy was she surprised.  It was a little pricey but I'd spend way more than we spent just to see the look on her face when she opened the box!

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Every minute of the day that has not involved one of the above projects, has been filled with worry for this sweet little girl...

 

Maggie Jane has been so sleepy lately.  She even asked to take a nap on friday evening when we had a houseful of friends and little kiddos over.  She had a 3 1/2 hour nap that day and was still exhausted.  She's been pretty blue lately and has had no energy.  I hate seeing her like this.  Maybe this is God's way of showing me that she truely needs this next repair.  I can't wait to see her full of energy again and pink, pink, pink!

So, this is what has been happening in our lives.  What's happening in yours?

Disney World, Here We Come!

After a wonderful weekend with my Dad's family, we are now packing our bags for Disney World!  The kids are so excited and so are we!  Trent is really looking forward to seeing Lightning McQueen and Mickey Mouse, but most of all he is looking forward to everything at Sea World.  He keeps talking about seeing REAL Manta Rays, dolphins, whales, sharks, seahorses, and all of the other 30 fish that he knows the names of.  Maggie's face lights up when she talks about seeing Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Belle, and Elmo.  We are having breakfast with Elmo and Friends at Sea World and she is so excited. 

What am I excited for?  I can't wait to see the faces of the two sweetest kids in the world all lit up with excitement and utter joy. 

This is a very special trip for our family.  Ryan and I had saved this money for a trip to Hawaii for the two of us.  However, after Maggie Jane was born, we decided that the money would be much better spent on a trip to Disney World after Maggie's surgeries were all over.  It would be a celebration trip.  However, this year we have learned how fragile life can be and we decided that we wanted to do this trip BEFORE Maggie's surgery.  So, when we got the news that surgery would most likely be at the end of this summer, we booked our trip.  Our family has been through so much these last 2+ years and we have so much to celebrate. 

Our little girl was born with half a heart and we have been blessed to share 2 amazing years with her.   She has triumphed over so much and lives every day to the fullest.  This trip is for her... to celebrate the life she has already lived, and in hopes of so much more life to come. 

Miscellaneous Christmas

This is my most favorite time of year.  I love being with family and seeing the joy in my children's eyes.  I love teaching them about Jesus' birth and that He came to save us.  Trent is really enjoying learning about baby Jesus this year.  His Sunday school teacher made him the neatest, kid-friendly nativity set. 

Saturday night we went to the mall to see Santa Clause.  We don't make a big deal of Santa.  He's just kind of a character that goes along with Christmas.  We don't teach them that the presents come from him, but it is fun to go see him.  He's kind of like Mickey Mouse... just something fun you do.  Trent loved him.  He went right up to him and gave him a hug in the friendly, sweet Trent way.  Trent told Santa that he wants a four wheeler.  (We are really hoping that he is not too disappointed with his presents because he most certainly is not getting a four wheeler.  Let me tell you, he does NOT want a toy four wheeler.  He wants the real thing.  If you ask him what he wants, he will tell you a four wheeler every single time.)   Maggie didn't mind sitting on his lap as long as her big brother was there to keep her safe.  When we got Trent up to get a picture of her by herself, she wasn't too happy.  Anyway, I love the pictures.  So, enjoy...

 

 

We have a busy week ahead of us.  I will spend tonight and tomorrow packing for our trip to Colorado.  Wednesday we have Christmas with my Mom, Dad, and the rest of my family.  Thursday we will have Christmas with Ryan's family and Thursday evening we will pack up the van and go to bed because on Friday morning we will leave for Colorado.  We will be spending the next couple of weeks there and I can't wait.  We plan on skiing, tubing, and relaxing in the beautiful Colorado mountains.  You can check this album for more pics from the next couple weeks:  Christmas 2008

I pray that you will all experience the true meaning of Christmas and that His love will fill your hearts.  Merry Christmas to you all!

Randomness

Here is a glimpse into our last few weeks:

 

Maggie loves to "help" me with laundry.  She also likes to put her Daddy's socks on.

 

 

Dancing with Cousin Claire

 

Maggie's 1st Pony Tail.  She looked so cute.

 

Trent thought it would be funny to stuff all of his stuffed animals in his p.j.'s.  Silly boy!

 

Papa is very good at accumulating junk mail and papers around his chest of drawers.  So, Maggie decided she should help him get rid of some of his piles.  She was very good at throwing stuff away.  That's my girl!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.  I hope you have enjoyed your day of yummy food and time with family, but most of all I hope you have taken time to thank God for what He has done in your life.  I am thankful for so many things:
- my parents, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins
- my children.  What can I say? They are the light of my life and I love them more than they will ever know.
- my husband.  He is so patient with me and I love him so much.  Unfortunately I take him for granted too often.
- Trent's health.  I never knew I would treasure his health so much. 
- my almost 20 months with Maggie Jane.  I cherish every minute with her.  God has been so good to us and has let us keep her here with us so far.  Thank you, God.
- my soon to be started new home
- my temporary home.  We are so blessed that my parents have let us stay here.
- my new "heart" friends.  Oh, how I needed them.  These last few months I have met some amazing new friends.  I am so thankful to have friends first of all, but even better... friends who "get it".
- the miracles that He has already done in baby Abbie. 
- my Lord and Savior who loves me no matter what.  He knows exactly what I can handle and He carries me through each day.  He doesn't promise that bad things won't happen.  He just promises that He will get me through.  Thank you, Jesus.

What are you thankful for?

The Pumpkin Patch

This is the first year that we have made it to the pumpkin patch.  We went with our friends', Jay and Shauntae.  I was hoping for a nice cool, fall day.  You know, cool enough to wear cute fall clothes.  Oh well, it was a little warm for that as you will see from their bright red faces.  Anyway, we had fun walking around, looking at LOTS of pumpkins, swinging, playing on an old time fire truck, and going on a hay ride.  Trent wanted to swing the whole time and Maggie wanted to run off.  We ended the evening with a yummy dinner at Red Lobster.  Hopefully, we will be able to make this an annual tradition and we look forward to next year when Jay and Shauntae will have their sweet (soon to arrive) baby girl, Kaitlyn, with them.

My two "pumpkins".  I have to say that they are getting pretty good at posing together. 

  

Wow!  Look at all of those pumpkins!

     

And, she's off!  Maggie got all the way to the end of the pumpkins before we caught her.  She's pretty darn fast.

  

Trent ate the powdered sugar off of Mr. Jay's funnel cake.  Shauntae, how did you manage to get  out of all of the pictures?  Next time, I'm getting one of you!

  

 

You gotta love that smile!

  

Maggie was avoiding the camera.  She would not look at me. 

   

 

We've Moved!

Well, we have gotten moved.  We moved almost everything out last Friday and Saturday, and finished moving and cleaning this week.  We left these people a VERY clean house.  I have to say that we were pretty nice with everything we did for them.  We closed on the house today which was sad but also a relief.  We stopped by the house to say goodbye one last time and take a picture of the four of us on the front porch.  I didn't know if I would cry or not, but I did. 

This was our home - not a house - a home.  My home, our home.  This was where I baby sat my nieces and nephews.  Trent doesn't know it, but he's not the first person to claim his room.  It used to be Claire's dance room.  This was the home where I cried because I didn't know if we would ever have children to fill the extra rooms.  This was the home where I found out I was pregnant with our first child (I will always remember the exact location where Ryan and I embraced as I told him the good news).  This was the home that Trent filled with his giggles and sweet voice.  This was the home where I took several pregnancy tests before I believed that I was REALLY pregnant with baby number 2 sooner than we were planning.  This was the home where I carefully prepared my baby girl's nursery.  This was the home I came home to without my baby girl knowing that she might not ever sleep in her beautiful nursery.  This was the home where she slept, ate, breathed, grew, and lived.  This is a home filled with beautiful and painful memories, but they are our memories.  Thankfully, those memories were not sold with that house.   They will be cherished in my heart forever.   

Crazy Week

This is a CRAZY week.  The walk went great.  I will post more later, when I get pictures from my Mom.  We are moving this weekend so I am very busy packing.  Today, I decided that it was impossible to make it through this week without a babysitter.  I was super crabby with the kids today because I keep trying to pack and they are "helping".  Well, Maggie just screams until I hold her and Trent wants to play.  So, I have a sitter for part of the day on Thursday and all day Friday!  I'll post more next week after we get settled.  I HATE MOVING! 

A Vibrating Bed?

Ha-Ha, I thought that would get your attention!  :-)  At about 4:30 this morning, our bed decided to give us an added feature.  It automatically turned into a vibrating bed!  We were sleeping soundly in our bed, when we heard an obnoxiously annoying tapping sound that would not stop.  It was the little antenna on our t.v. rattling on the wall in our bedroom.  Ryan got up, thinking it was the open window causing the problems.  He closed the window and tried to get the rattling to stop.  However, the whole chest of drawers was shaking.  Then, I realized that our bed was vibrating too.  I'm not sure how long it lasted, but it seemed like it was about 30-60 seconds.  Ryan turned around and looked at me and said, "please tell me you felt that too?".  It was an earthquake.  I had never felt one before and it was quite disturbing.  We laid in bed talking for a little while, and it took me a while to fall back asleep.  This morning the news said that it was a 5.2 earthquake and there was actually some damage done to people's homes.  We have not seen any damage.  I think we are far enough away from the center to not have any damage.  It was pretty crazy!  I'd be okay if I never felt that again.