May 16, 2012
Testing ....
Here we go again and it has been so long since I've written or used Blogger!! Attempting to dip my toe back in with a tester ... please be patient with me as I get reacquainted with all of this! I have lots to share and a new hip journey to begin xxoo
February 24, 2010
i.love.this
I am starting to have a crush on YouTube. I resisted, I tried ... but when it comes to amazing videos like this one ... I have a crush on YouTube.
February 14, 2010
gratitude challenge day 7
One picture. One specific moment that makes me feel grateful. How can I possibly choose just one?
Today is not only Valentine’s Day. It is also National Congenital Heart Defects Awareness Day.
For this full day (week) to bring awareness to something I am passionate about … I am incredibly grateful … this is what led me to my picture for Day 7.
Our sweet Nannie (little did we know it) was born with an Atrial Septal Defect.
For many parents this means nothing. For us, however, it was a diagnosis that changed our lives. A diagnosis that literally threw us into the overwhelming world of cardiologists, oxygen saturations, repeat pneumonias, failure to thrive and open heart surgery. Into a world of words that needed medical dictionaries to understand, knowledge of the human heart that equals that of surgeons ~ how it works, how it can fail …. how it was failing. Into a world of emotions that no parent should have to face, have to fight, have to believe and hope will not become their reality.
The picture I chose is the last picture we took of our sweet Nannie before I carried her down the hall, held her while she fell asleep and handed her over to a room full of people we needed to have complete faith in. Some we had met the day before, others we had never met. Within moments they would stop our sweet daughters heart in order to make her better... they would literally hold her small heart in their hands.
This picture, for me, is a reminder for what we have overcome with sweet Nannie. It reminds me how incredibly loved we are, how much we have to offer others with our experience, how incredibly grateful we are for our surgeon who helped heal Nannies heart. Who helped heal Nannies heart so she can be here, today, so she can celebrate Valentine’s Day with us, so she can live.
Grateful.
xo,
Steph
February 8, 2010
Let's do the time warp .... AGAIN !!
What in the world ?
How does this happen ... one minute it's October and before I even realize ~ we are in f.e.b.r.u.a.r.y !!
Time that has moved so, so slow before is now gone (and sadly, usually before I am able to finish my coffee!).
I never realized how much Jackjack's casts kept us homebound, how time "stood still". Unable to sit or climb like other children his age, we hung out together at home where he was able to sit happily in his chair and "explore" as he should. I am so, so grateful for that time with him, time when I could focus just on him.
Now that we have freedom that we really never had (or that I thought we never had) ... time is disappearing! Together we have a full schedule which gets even busier once Nannie & Bennie get home. Jackjack and I absolutely love it Finally able to go for a ride on the sled, play freely with other children, climb, jump and (almost) run ... he smiles ear to ear the entire time.
I am grateful.
I, very sadly, fell off the Gratitude Challenge wagon ... hard ! Today, though, is the day I re-start and will finish.
Besides ... what better time to stop and take notice, appreciate all of our gifts than when time seems to be going way too fast ?!
Won't you join me ? Post to your blog, facebook and/or in our comments and share, proudly, what you are "greatful" for.
xo,
Steph
October 23, 2009
gratitude challenge ... day 2 ...
Day 2: Use the alphabet as a fun and quick format for making a list of things for which you are grateful. Share this list with your social network through email, a blog post or a Facebook or MySpace page.
*****
OkeeDoke, here comes mine …
A ~ A roof over our heads
B ~ Ben … our oldest child
C ~ Cardiac surgeons …our daughter would not be here today if it wasn’t for ours
D ~ Dancing ... not many things can turn my frown upside down as quick
E ~ Elderly ... their knowledge, their stories
F ~ Family… there are times when I forget how truly lucky I am
G ~ Girlfriends ... love them, couldn't do many things without them
H ~ Hannah … our middle child
I ~ “I love you" … I never, ever get tired of those three magic words
J ~ Jack … our littlest child
K ~ Kisses ... means I am loved
L ~ Laughter … means we are happy and healthy
M ~ Music ... reminds me to relax
N ~ New babies ... so full of promise and innocence ... a reminder to enjoy the little things
O ~ Orthopedic surgeons …. without, Jack would not know the joy of walking
P ~ Past … without my past I would not be who I am today
Q ~ Quilts … I love their stories, their histories, the love that is/was put into them
R ~ Rich … my sweet hubby
S ~ Sunsets … remind me to slow down and enjoy the moment
T ~ Table … for the great times we’ve had around ours
U ~ Unbaked chocolate chip cookie dough … ‘nough said J
V ~ Vino …. I have had many amazing talks with girlfriends over a glass of wine
W ~ Waves … the change & treasures they bring with them
X ~ Xray … without, Jack’s hip dysplasia would have taken longer to diagnose
Y ~ Yoga … keeps me grounded and peaceful
Z ~ Zoo … we have an amazing zoo and many happy days there
What is on your list ??
XO,
Steph
October 15, 2009
take note. give thanks. do you dare?
Lately I have been allowing my feeling(s) of being overwhelmed to take over. I have allowed them to work their way into almost everything I do.
Being a Mom to three amazing, busy children is a gift and I have forgotten to enjoy all that it is. I have forgotten to enjoy every smile, every cry, every laugh, every hug ... every occasion to celebrate, big and small.
Today, I start. Today, do you?
Sign the pledge, join me today.
XO,
Steph
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