Christmas Fun...part 2

Ok, I know I'm seriously pathetic...it's the end of January and I'm finally getting to the rest of our Christmas pictures. But, in my defense we celebrated Christmas with my side of the family late so technically, I'm not thaaaaaat tardy. :) We had a great time with the fam and got a very super, fun, awesome, fabulous, very amazing surprise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


In case you can't read it, her shirt says "Cousin Reese"!!!!!!!

My sister Katie and her husband Ross are having a baby!!!!! We are sooooooooooo excited!!! (As you can tell, Reese looks thrilled in this picture). They were very sneaky about telling all of us too. Katie snuck off with Reese and slipped this little t-shirt on Reese in the bedroom and sent Reese out to show all of us. It took my dad awhile to catch on, which was hilarious, but we are all looking forward to Baby Petrick!

Such a wild woman

One of Reese's new favorite games..."Airplane." And for the record...mommy gives the BEST airplane rides. Reese always says, "Again, again!"

Yes, that very large present IS FOR YOU, Miss Reese

Yay! A Barney and an Elmo DVD! Perfect for treatment time!

She looks very concerned about one of her gifts here. She got spoiled, so there was noooooo need to be concerned.

Christmas Fun...part 1

Finally, here are a few pictures of our Christmas adventure in Midland with the Petoske family! We had an awesome Christmas and the little one was not one bit spoiled at all. Ha ha. Yeah right.

Reese riding on Gerry the Giraffe...this was Kevin and his siblings' toy/toybox when they were kids. Reese and her cousin Alexis had a lot of fun with ol' Gerry. Reese still talks about him..."Where Gerry go?"

Christmas Eve night, posing by the tree in her gold sparkly dress.

On Christmas morning Reese and Alexis woke up to SLEDS! Yay!

Goofing around with daddy...oh boy.

SHE LOVES THE SLED!!!! I can't wait for it to get ABOVE 0 degrees so we can go sledding!

Weeeeeeee......

Miss Reese doing her treatment at Grandma and Grandpa's...she loved watching Elmo on the laptop!

Baby Paxon

Baby Paxon Ray Olimb went to the loving arms of Our Father today after just a short 11 days here on this side of Heaven. This boy touched so many lives and I have no doubt that he will continue to touch lives through his story and his incredible family. Rachel, Jeremy and Asher...we love you and are praying for you.

http://www.asherolimb.com/blog/?p=1383

From Our Family to Yours...

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I will post pictures of our Christmas adventures as soon as I can.

I also have a prayer request. My dear friend Rachel, her husband Jeremy and her little newborn baby Paxon need our prayers. Paxon was born on Christmas day and came into this world like a champ, giving them much hope and encouragement. Since then, Paxon has had some serious further challenges and they really just need to be lifted up before the throne of our Greatest Physician. Their story and this sweet lil' boy have been touching so many lives. You can follow along at asherolimb.com God Bless and thank you!

Merry Wishes!

Aware...

I came across this video today on facebook and thought it was a pretty powerful video not only to create some awareness about our daily lives and routines, but also to remind everyone (without me always being a hand sanitizer nazi...ha!) that this is a tough time of year for many during the cold and flu season and if there is any extra precaution we can take to keep Reese healthy, we will do it. Of course we want everything to be "normal" (which by the way, what does "normal" mean????) for Reese and we are fully aware that OUR attitudes will affect HER attitude about CF but the fact is she has CF so there are some things that are "different" for us. So hand sanitizer it is... :)

Do Not Forget...

Love love love this time of year! I always have. There is so much joy, wonder, and just all-around jolliness...well most of the time, anyway. From the Christmas songs on the radio, to the stores bustling and sparkling with festive decor and don't forget the Hallmark Christmas movies, Christmastime just makes me downright happy! But for some at this time of year, it is almost unbearable. During this time of family and togetherness, some are haunted by lonliness and unimaginable heartbreak. I was reminded of this by reading a fellow CF mom's blog (you may remember me talking about Sarah who lost her 7 year old son Conner to CF earlier this year) that this can be the most painful time of the year. http://notsobrightandshiny.blogspot.com/2010/11/its-most-wonderful-time-of-year.html
I mention this because this post made me stop and really just think about the people I pass as I go along my daily business as I'm gaily humming "The Little Drummer Boy". Who among those people are included in this category? Ever since I read Sarah's sweet words I have thought about how I can reach out to them. I know there is no magical answer but I think praying for them, and offering up simple acts of love and kindness like making someone smile, offering a helping hand, being patient and kind, and just stepping outside of myself to see their hurting heart could be a start. So while we have been decking the halls and singing jolly Christmas tunes, trying to create wonderful memories for Reese, I will not forget those who long for the touch of their loved ones, and I hope you won't forget either. As Sarah states, "All I ask I guess is this Holly Jolly Christmas Season take a moment to touch someones life. Greatly. More than buying a present…TAKE TIME TO REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEIR HURTING SOUL…so many people are walking zombies of pain…and truly there is no feeling like it in the world…"

So, with that being said, as I mentioned, we have been busy decking the halls and enjoying getting in the Christmas spirit. Reese is loving it! She is in awe of the pretty lights and recognizes Santa, or "Sana" as she calls him. These things are all great, but let's also not forget the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Here are a few pictures of us putting up the tree!

Notice in this picture Reese has on a different shirt. Yeah, the Hallmark Christmas moment I was hoping to have with the hot chocolate didn't work out as I had envisioned. Reese took one drink of her "warm" chocolate and spit it out all over her shirt. Oh well...we still had fun!

Thanksgiving.

As we approach one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving, it's only natural for me to take some time to reflect on the things I am thankful for. I will be honest...while I thought I felt thankful last year at this time, I don't think I really had the deep thankfulness and joy I feel this year. Just to mention a few things I am thankful for...
*I am thankful for our loving Father, who shows me His love and mercy every single day.
*I am thankful for my amazing husband, who would do anything for me and Reese and always makes me laugh.
*I am thankful for our perfectly darling daughter, who lights up my life in a way I never knew possible.
*I am thankful for my family. We love all of you and when I say we could not do it without you, I whole-heartedly mean that.
*I am thankful for the advances there have been in medicine and our care team. Because of these advances and our awesome care team, Reese is healthy and able to live a "normal" life!
*I am thankful for my friends. I truly could not have ask for better friends and love and appreciate each one of you.
*I am thankful for all of the CF mommies I have been able to connect with. Ladies...you are sometimes the only reason I don't have a nervous breakdown or go completely insane! It's such a blessing to be included in the network of friends I have found in these fabulous moms.
*I am thankful for all of the BEYOND BELIEVABLE support we had for Team Reese this year. What an honor to have so many in our corner.
Ok...it's starting to sound like I'm making a speech at the Academy Awards so I will stop there but I just wanted to touch on some of the most important things I am thankful for...although rest assured, the list is plentiful!

Along the lines of CF mommies...in the beginning of November I was able to go on a mini-vacation to Mesa, AZ to visit my closest longtime friend from my childhood, Shannon, and I had the opportunity to meet in person one of my most cherished CF mom's, Rachel. I met Rachel through Shannon when Reese was first diagnosed. I have mentioned her on this blog before and I just hold such a special place in my heart for her and love her to pieces. Her little guy Asher, who is 3, also has CF. We had so much fun together and it was such a joy to spend time with Shannon and her family as well.


My forever friend, Rachel!


Shanny, Rachel and me


A toast to friendship! Love you, Shannon!


The view from the top of Camelback Mountain...STUNNING!


Tough girls...some things never change.

Happy Thanksgiving 2010...I hope you all find much to be thankful for!