Pennies from Heaven: October 2008

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Hey everybody, its the inaugural blog...I finally did it! OK, now that I am done patting my own back I can get to the meat of the matter. My intentions and my plan is to do this a few times a week at work if there is time (more time that normal usually lately) or at night if we are lucky enough to get the kids to bed before 11:00. Layla is good about going down at 8:30....Samantha, not so much! She is getting better about that now that she is going to school and is playing more.

So here we go.....

We took the family to Disneyland in May for 5 days to celebrate the last of Samantha's heart surgeries. We all had a blast! I enjoyed it as well as it was my first time visiting the magic kingdom. We were able to ride most of the rides there and we also went to California adventure across the way to ride even more rides and to have breakfast with the princesses.

The girls loved the airplane, Sam more than Layla. Sam was getting so carried away Michelle had to cover her mouth. It was so funny!

Samantha had her 4th open heart surgery in April and recovered nicely and was released 4 days later!! She is incredible! She is averaging 1 a year, but with her new 19mm pig valve she should be good for years to come.

I think everyone knows by now we are still trying to finish our basement. Well almost 1 year later we are still trying . I am determined to get my car in the garage this winter. Its been slow going since there is always something else going on that needs to be dealt with.
Since I wasn't able to get my basement finished I thought that the best thing to do would be to start another project...The YARD!!! We decided to remove the gravel on the side of the house and pour concrete. We got a great deal and it looks great too. We then put up a new fence and then topped the whole yard experience with a new sprinkler system. This part is still underway and I am hoping that this weekend with be the end of it!!

Halloween is tomorrow and I am looking forward to taking the girls out to meet the ghouls in the neighborhood, but first out to the church for the wholesome "Trunk or Treat"!...then the neighborhood....then the Aunt Jenn's work....

Well I think that I have typed enough....need to get back to work

Samantha Sharlene

Samantha was born on June 8, 2004. It was quickly discovered that our little angel had a severe birth defect involving her heart and lungs (CHD). Her condition was diagnoised as Pulmonary Atresia. In her first year of life she had three open heart, reconstructive surgeries. In 2008 she had her fourth open heart surgery for a valve replacement. Her life opened up a window to us that we had closed a long ago. Eventually our hopes and fears for our little one lead us to the window and we crawled through with all the hopes and prayers in the world and beyond for our new little family. Sam is now seven (or will be this June) and she is a light in our lives. She is smart, adorable, friendly, loving and the best big sister. She LOVES art and enjoys reading, music, being with her friends and being creative.

Layla Michelle

Layla was welcomed into our family September 12, 2007. She is my dark beauty. Big brown eyes and a smile that melts your heart. Layla will be four this year and she is a spit-fire! I didn't know so much sugar and sass could be packed into a little package. Layla is bound and determined to do EVERYTHING her big sister is doing. She is also a great big sister to Mady. Layla loves to dance and shows so much talent. She is the best eater we have in the house and she is willing to try AND do just about anything. She is excited for summer so we can get our annual Lagoon passports and do all the fun rides. Currently she really loves Pre-School activities, learning, being read to, making up her own stories, Dora cartoons and "Tangled". Every morning she tells me how beautiful I am as I do her hair..of course I tell her how beautiful she is too. She then says that she is growing her hair long like 'Tangled'. She is certainly our little princess and fills our days with magic.

Madilyn Lorretta

Madilyn is our little sweetie but also our fiesty redhead. She was adored by all when she was born on August 1, 2009. This little one could prove to show her Mama what a real DIVA is capable of. Mady is 18 months old, full of emotions and loves to play with her sisters, hear stories, and explore her toys. She has an infectious giggle and the cutest little run you have ever seen. This little girl also adores music and likes to bounce around to the tunes. Mady keeps us on our toes and has been the perfect addition and completion to our family.