Cardiac Kids Picnic

Last weekend, we went to the annual Cardiac Kids Picnic and wore ourselves out. We go every year and it is so great to see all the families outside the hospital setting and watch the kids play. Somehow, we got nominated a few years ago to be in charge of the snow cone machine, so we've now got that down to a science. Kinley is especially helpful in taking everyone's order.

This year was extra special for one family here from Japan. In Japan, they apparently view harvesting organs for transplant as murder, so it doesn't happen there. This family raised money and came here in February to get a transplant. They have yet to go home after getting a new heart on Valentine's Day due to some post-op complications. We volunteered this year to take the family to the picnic since this little guy is now out of the hospital. They have to stay at the Ronald McDonald house near the hospital for a couple more months until they can go home. It was the first time they had been anywhere other than the hospital since arriving.

Though he speaks very little English, my kids were so nice to him and it was good for them to be part of doing something nice for someone else. Kinley, in all her glory, was hilarious trying to talk to him. She just figured the louder she talked, he might finally communicate with her. Then, she started speaking some Spanish words and when that didn't work, the body language took over. I believe my next post will be a compilation of "Kinleyisms" because this girl is a natural comedian.

Engaged!

Last week's post was dedicated to my youngest brother and this time it's all about my other favorite brother. I got a text message from him tonight that simply said "Engaged!" and that's all it took for the tears to start flowing. His fiance, Erika, (OK, that was fun to say) is amazing and they make a great couple. My kids were ecstatic. I will post another picture once we have a shot of her hand and ring (Brandon thinks she should be a hand model to begin with).

Brandon and I have been able to be there for each other through all of life's ups and downs and I am so grateful to have him as my brother, fan, cheerleader and a fabulous uncle to my kids. Erika is one of the most remarkable people I have ever met--a good person to the core who is fun to be around and already feels like a sister. We are on cloud nine in this house right now!!!! :)
After skydiving--the photo has been nicknamed "Top Gun"

STATE CHAMPS!

I am such a proud sister that I'm about to burst. After working all night on Friday night, Cooper and I headed straight to Greeley on Saturday morning to watch my little brother, Bennett, play in the state 3A baseball title game against Lamar. I was as nervous as if it were my own kids watching him play. He is the catcher and an amazing one at that. The pitcher for the title game throws a knuckle curve and when and if those babies hit the dirt, they have a mind of their own. Bennett was like a brick wall--nothing got by him. He also had an RBI in a game where the final score was 4-1. To top it all off, he had 3 major league scouts there watching him and he has been invited to play in front of them in June.

Even more impressive than that is the fact that this kid is an amazing, kind, thoughtful person (even as a teenager, ha!). He has been a fantastic role model for Cooper. I wondered how or if I would ever really know him since I was 18 and in college when he was born, but he is one of my best friends. So, here's to Uncle B (as my kids call him)! Way to go, buddy! We love you!

Shoppin' for a new can

I get that homes are a constant drain on the wallet. I expect to have to replace things in our home. I expect the dishwasher to someday break and I expect to need new carpet someday. But, I wouldn't have guessed that the toilet would be our first big replacement item in our 6-year-old home. Then again, there have been a lot of surprises since we started having kids 10 years ago.

There is a phantom person in our home named "Not Me" that forgets to flush often. I haven't been able to catch the suspect, but I have 3 guesses. So, upon finding the evidence the other day, I angrily flushed the kids bathroom toilet quite hard. I felt something pop and figured I broke something. I had Doug take a look at it and he said he could fix it the next day. To prevent the 3 suspects from using said toilet, Doug took the heavy porcelain top off the back of the tank and set it across the seat as if to say KEEP OFF. Well, at midnight, Kaiya was sleepwalking to the bathroom and she lifted the lid. We heard a huge crash and discovered that the top had shattered the entire side of the toilet off. Doug found himself standing in a gallon of water and he may have said a bad word.

The next day, we ventured to Home Depot and test drove a bunch of new toilets. Just thought people might enjoy a photo of our weekend entertainment. :)

Register today!

For the last two weeks, I have taken care of a little boy who is in dire need of a new heart. His belly is distended because his liver function is so bad (when the heart starts to fail, fluid accumulates in the liver and other places) and he has to work pretty hard to breathe. He doesn't talk much because he has slipped into a depression that is hard to describe. He is just 4 years old and has been through so much already. His parents elected to try to fix his heart defect surgically when he was an infant and the repair did not hold up. His mom shared with me that they chose the surgical route initially because she hated the thought of her son's success depending on someone else's tragedy. Now, they have no choice.

As I have watched this little boy sit in his bed all day and struggle to breath, it hit me that I have a responsibility to educate the public about organ donation. This photo was taken from Colorado's organ donation website that you can visit and register to be an organ and tissue donor. It is critically important that you also share with your family what your wishes are. Though not a fun subject to ponder, it is worthy of discussion. Go to http://www.coloradodonorregistry.org and register today!