Julia's 4th Birthday Carnival

Let the games begin!

Julia loves birthday parties.  Last year in the midst of surgery, radiation, and chemo we were planning her 3rd birthday.  She chose Little Einsteins.  They were the one thing that brought her continuous comfort in the hospital.  The theme song still bring s tears to my eyes as I flashback to sleepless nights in pain in the PICU, chemo vomiting, daily trips to radiation for sedation.  Those DVDs always calmed her down and allowed her to be strong and fight.

While she was in the hospital she received a Curious George doll, the complete book collection, and CDs.  We read these stories so many times.  One of her favorites was Curious George Goes to the Hospital.  We read it so often I could recite it, but she loved it.  Both the kids love the PBS show and watch it daily before breakfast.  So this year we decided it would be a Curious George birthday.
 
We have been planning this carnival for several months and it's a good thing because the past few weeks of our life have been nonstop action.  It all started with some fun ideas for backyard games inspired by the Costco's plastic container for their apples.  I just couldn't bring myself to throw it away, so I've been saving them on a shelf in the garage.

PING PONG TOSS:
We built a simple L-shaped frame from some scrap wood.  Then we opened the apple containers and painted the bottom of some with acrylic paint.  I used peel-n-stick velcro to adhere them to the board.  A bucket of ping pong balls and we were ready to go!

PIN THE BUTTERFLY:
There was also Pin the Butterfly on the Log (from Party City).  The numbered stickers make this so easy..

WATER THE FLOWERS:
The kids really wanted to have water balloons at the party.  I don't know about you, but I am not a fan of tiny balloon bits all over my yard.  The solution was to make a target.  We attached a cheap inner tube to a board with Gorilla Glue and loops of packing tape.  I painted the center yellow to look like a flower and added brown dots for seeds.  Then we flipped it over and put tiny nails through the dots.  And we had a new game, Water the Flowers.  We used the water balloon sets from the dollar bins that come with a hose nozzle for easy-filling.  The great feature was the tiny balloon pieces were caught inside the inner tube...  

FISHING:
The kids and I painted an old sheet for our fishing game.  The clothespin on the stick was a great pole to fish for bags of cotton candy...

BOWLING:
All the kids love to play bowling and I've always wanted to have an alley for the set.  We attached two rectangle boards with hinges on the back.  This way we can fold it for easy storage.  We attached pieces of 2x4 for a back bumper and painted dots for the pin set-up.

The tattoo station was a big hit...

RING TOSS:
We also had ring toss.  This set is from Lillian Vernon Kids...

LEAP FROG TOSS:
This was a simple setup of a bucket of plastic frogs and buckets of water.  It was helpful that we could easily adjust the difficulty levels of these games by having the kids stand at different distances.

After making all of these games I realized why kids like carnivals so much.  All the games involve throwing things and they get prizes for doing it!

We decided to have a collection box at the party for Give Kids the World.  We are going to spend the month filling this box to the brim and can't wait to send it off to Florida.  We are all so excited to be tangibly giving back and paying forward the blessings we received.

The party was a huge success.  We had glorious sunshine and a yard full of family and friends.  Here's three hours in picture memories...

Julia was very excited about opening presents.  Her tender, gracious heart makes me so happy.  She read every card, thanked all her friends, and had the sweetest comments about everything she opened, "This is what I've always wanted!", "I love this!", "Thank you so much!", "Oooh, look!!"  I loved when she opened the cupcake set from her great-grandparents.  She got a sad look on her face and said, "But how can I tell them thank you because they're in Pennsylvania?" You have such a gift with words and encouragement, Julia.

Happy, happy birthday sweet Ju-Ju! We are all so blessed to celebrate this day with you and rejoice in good health, good friends, loving family, and so much gratitude.Your 3rd year of life was like nothing we could have ever imagined.  Looking back, I cannot believe how far you have come.  Just in the past month you have gotten so much stronger, happier, and more peaceful.  God has been so faithful to heal you in every way, in His time.  We all look forward to the new joys and adventures of your 4th year and feel privileged to walk beside you.  You are a gift to everyone you meet.  May God continue to carry you wherever He leads.  We love you!

Weekend Kickoff

Memorial Day weekend is always a fun-filled, family weekend at our house.  We started getting together before the kids were even born.  We all enjoy the time to relax, play, enjoy the warm outdoors, go to baseball games, and just have fun.  Four years ago Julia made her arrival just in time to join the festivities.  She went to her first baseball game at 4 days old!

This year was no different.  The kids couldn't wait for Mimi and Grandpa to fly in the week before.  In no time they were relaxing in the swing enjoying a big plate of summer fruit...

After dinner it was time for sports.  This is Carter's house, after all.  Grandpa taught Carter how to play lacrosse several years a go and he's been at it ever since.  He actually has some great skills these days.

Mimi's skills from field hockey in school seem to have re-emerged.  She can definitely hold her own :)

Not only are there sports to be played but also watched.  If there was every a time for picture-in-picture TV, this is it... NCAA lacrosse playoffs, NBA playoffs, ML baseball, ACC baseball playoffs, NHL Stanley Cup, and the Indy 500.  It makes your head spin as we go from ice to grass, to hardwoods, to dirt in seconds.

All that spectating just drives the competitiveness in everyone.  There's nothing like a family baseball game... 

Julia loves her new birthday baseball bat.  Just her size...

All that playing made everyone hungry.  Time for dinner and smores...

Carter and his cousin Kyle are two peas in a pod.  They are exactly a year apart and alike in so many ways.  they play together effortlessly (Except when Carter accidentally checked him in the eye with a lacrosse stick! Guess we need helmets.) and always have a blast filling every waking second with fun.  I can just see these two cruisin' ten years from now.  I think I prefer the Power Wheels in the culdesac :)

There's always some playful wrestling, too.  Such a treat to have another boy to roughhouse with...

I did learn a valuable lesson.  When two little boys walk through your kitchen with a bucket, follow them!  They carried around their little friend for several hours.  Mommy finally let the little guy go again......outside.

After all the fun it was time for some party prep.  Julia's Curious George Carnival was finally here!

Playgroup at the Pool

It really feels like summertime when we make our first trip to the pool.  Nothing says summer like sunscreen, bathing suits, water shoes, inner tubes, goggles, water wings, refreshing water, and tired-out kids who can't wait for bedtime :) Today we had playgroup at the pool.  Eighteen of the happiest children you've ever seen!

Our playgroup has grown so much.  At the start six years ago, we had 4 babies who played on the floor while we talked and drank coffee.  Now we have 23 exuberant children who are all over the place! We have been truly blessed.  It is such a unique blessing to have a close group of families who share our faith, our values, our hearts, and more importantly whom we share our lives with.  God has been so good!

Strawberry Season

Just when the weather gets warm and the excitement of summer grows, strawberry season arrives.  There's nothing quite like a fresh NC strawberry.  We took advantage of a free sunny afternoon to hop in the car with friends and pick some of our own at the farm around the corner.  The family is so friendly and makes the visit so much fun.  The tractor pulls the wagon out to the fields...

Where the kids are given a quick lesson and set free with their buckets.

After picking we fed the goats and calves.  Then enjoyed some homemade strawberry slushies and ice cream cones.  The perfect end to a warm, spring day.

And the perfect excuse to make one of these...

Mercy

Our hearts are so heavy and the tears won't stop flowing.

Our sweet friend Vinny from Brenner's has taken a turn for the worse.  He fought rhabdomyosarcoma for a year and was cancer free for nine months.  He relapsed last November in his lungs.  They gave him months to live.  They began a last ditch effort of high dose chemo.  To the doctors amazement Vinny's lung tumors shrunk and became inactive.  Last week he was in a lot pain and bleeding.  Tests and surgery have revealed large tumors in his bladder.  He is in extreme pain and suffering tremendously despite a heavy drug cocktail.  Hospice has been called in and now there is nothing left to do but wait.  The doctors predict it will be around two months until the cancer takes over his body.

Lord, I just do not understand this degree of suffering.  It is all too much.  This precious boy was born with a severe cleft lip and palate and pulmonary stenosis of his heart.  After four years of surgeries the ENTs discovered a mass blocking his nasal passages.  Vinny was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma and began the fight of his life.  He beat it, only to relapse and fight again.  Miraculously he beat that, too.  Vinny always says, "I'm going to win me this cancer." and he does time and time again.  His options have now run out.  Lord, we pray that you heal Vinny quickly.  We know it may not be in the way we all desire, but he has suffered enough.  Lord we pray your mercy descends on this family.  Give them all energy, peaceful sleep, pain relief, calm hearts, moments of laughter, spirits filled with HOPE, discernment in decisions, memories for a lifetime, and lots of sweet hugs.  Lord, we lift up his big sister Desi and ask that you carry her close to your heart through all of this.  No child should have to watch this happen to their little brother.

Lord, hold up his parents as they are too weak to stand.  Sarah is a beacon of HOPE at Camp Brenner.  Through all of their own trials she has continued to embrace every new oncology family she encounters.  She takes each one under her wing to show them the ropes, encourage them, answer their questions, acknowledge their fears, make them smile, and infuse them with HOPE.  She is a shining light on the floor to everyone she meets.   In the midst of Vinny's treatment she also helped to start a nonprofit for Camp Brenner families to ease the lives of families going through cancer.   Lord, we will never understand why all of this had to happen, but we know you will never leave us.  Lord, come quickly!

Vinny, you are and will always be a true Superhero.  I have never met anyone so tough in all my life.  I pray you get out of the hospital soon and have lots of fun at home with your family baking cakes and playing LEGOS to your hearts content.  You are an inspiration to us all and we will continue to believe and pray for a miracle.

Happy 4th Birthday Julia!

Sunday we celebrated Julia's 4th birthday.  She has been looking forward to this day for a long time.  She loves birthday parties and so many times during this past year when her treatments left her feeling rotten, she would want to talk about party ideas for her next celebration.  

We started the morning with a family breakfast party...

She was so surprised by all the decorations.

and excited about having Krispy Kreme doughnuts for breakfast.  After she blew out her candles, she announced, "Now I am 4, then I will be 5, then 6!" Whoa, one year at a time! I guess it won't be long before we';re planning her next party.

Everyone had a great morning at church.  Julia wore her birthday crown and was thrilled when her class sang to her.

After a yummy lunch at Moe's with friends, we surprised her with the Sesame Street Live Show, "When Elmo Grows Up".  All the kids loved the music and dancing.  It was a really cute show, perfect for preschoolers.

Happy Birthday sweet punkin! We are so thankful God chose you to be part of our family.  We celebrate the amazing gift of life this year and praise God for your good health.  Last year on your birthday, your hair was falling out in handfuls, you were recovering from major surgery, and the effects of chemo were beginning to take their toll on your little body.  Such a long fight still laid ahead.

 This year, you are healthy, strong, full of life, and loving your head full of hair.  We love you Superhero Julia!