Beach!

Last weekend, we took a family vacation to the beach. We have come to realize that "family vacation" won't always mean that our entire family goes together. Ryan opted to stay home from this trip as he can't really participate much. His new beach wheelchair is not comfortable for him to sit in. And it's a pretty bumpy ride besides for a child who has had spinal fusion and currently, a broken leg! Not to mention, those things are TOUGH to push through the sand. NOT an easy task at all! It's always a little sad when we have to leave Ryan behind. But, we have to give our other SMA free kids a chance to experience life too. Activities such as the beach or camping rarely happen in this family. And it's mostly because we don't want to leave Ryan out. So, we just don't go at all. But, now that Jorie and Josh are getting older, we will need to start taking these trips for their benefit. Even if that means, sometimes leaving Ryan with Grandma and Grandpa.

The weather was cool. But, it was a nice break from the heat we've been having. It remained mostly in the 60's while we were there and sometimes 50's! We spent most of our time on the beach playing in the sand, flying our kites or searching for crabs and sea shells. We also took a day to visit the aquarium. I think Josh and Jorie had a blast. And it was good to see them so happy.

Family Pictures!

Today, I enjoyed one of my most favorite things. Taking pictures of my family. And it was a beautiful day to get a few shots outside too! We did manage to get a few shots with ME in there. Just had to set the camera up on the porch to do so. :)

A special man

As a little girl, if I could have written down everything I wanted in my future husband, I think Steve would have come pretty close. From the beginning of our relationship we faced trials and sadness. One of the first trials we faced together, was losing Aaron. We have both watched as our son has been near death more times than we can count, we have traveled to New Jersey with him for a major operation. One that we weren't 100% certain that he would even survive given his weak respiratory health and history of pneumonias. And through it all, we have grown stronger as a couple. We have learned not to sweat the small stuff! And we have learned to really enjoy the blessings in our life!

As our kids are growing up; I am realizing more and more that I not only hit the jackpot for a husband; but also in father to my children. He is an amazing example to our kids and they are closer to the Lord because of his example! What an amazing man God brought into my life. We are all truely blessed!

Just some pictures!

I loved how these pictures turned out of Jorie and Joshua in their pretty blue shirts!

Strawberry Shortcake

Here is my little Strawberry Shortcake girl! My mom made this costume for me to wear for Halloween one year when I was about Jorie's age. I have saved it all these years. And Jorie thought it would be great fun to try it on. Brings back alot of childhood memories! ;)

Josh's new wagon!

A few months ago, while playing with a remote control car; Steve accidentally drove the car into Josh's wagon. It actually ran into it SO hard that it broke the wheel off the wagon and it wasn't something that could be repaired. After several months of Josh asking, we finally decided last Saturday to replace his wagon. We decided this time to get a different type of wagon. It's larger than his little Radio Flyer wagon and made from hard plastic so it won't rust. It also has two cute little seats inside, a cup holder for drinks and a little door that Josh can open and close to get in and out which he LOVES!! He will spend hours just piling cars or stuffed animals in and out of it.

A few nights ago, we decided to take it for a walk to the park near our house. I pulled Josh on the way there and he pulled it all the way back home himself. I think it's going to be a well used toy for many years to come. :)

Fishing!

One of the activities we did while Ryan's friend Sam was here was fishing! Everyone enjoyed this activity. Finding things that everyone can enjoy in our family are rare due to the differences in age and ability. We had a great evening! We left after a quick dinner of Subway sandwiches and headed to Shevlin Park. Joshua and Jorie spent most of the time exploring and looking for sticks while Sam and Ryan fished with Steve. By the end of the evening, the other little fishermen and their families had left and we had the pond to ourselves. Ryan was the only one to catch any fish. But, we all had so much fun trying. Even I fished for a little while. It brought back alot of memories from my childhood and fishing with my grandparents. ;) What a fun evening! None of us knew at the time that Ryan's leg was broken. But, this fishing trip was just one day after his fall out of bed. He hardly complained at all which is amazing to us! We found out the following day after a trip to the doctor and an xray.