Follow Your Heart

Happy 10th Birthday Blake!!!

2011-05-31T22:48:00.000-07:00

My sweet Blake is 10 today. A day filled with JOY in remembering Blake and deep sadness in missing Blake. Birthdays are so important in our family. We always choose a theme and make a big deal about the party-games, cake, gifts, etc. It is difficult to celebrate Blake's birthdays and long to have a big celebration with him and all of his friends. Here are his first 5 Birthdays...

1st Birthday

1 -1/2 Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

4th Birthday

5th Birthday

Celebrating Blake's 10th Birthday in Heaven. We made star shaped sugar cookies and frosted them blue for Blake.

Happy 10th Birthday Blake!!! We all love you and miss you so much!

I HATE March 11th (I know, hate is a strong word, but it's true!)

2011-03-11T00:09:00.000-08:00

This is Blake at 1- 1/2 years old. He is doing so well. Starting to stand on his own, walking with help, laughing and his face is filled with a beautiful smile.

Then March 11th came...Blake had a hour and a half seizure that just wouldn't stop. I was picking Daniel up from school and we were rushed to the hospital via ambulance, begged God for it to stop and it just wouldn't stop. It was terrifying. Finally it stopped, but from that point Blake slowly lost all of his abilities. There is nothing worse than watching your child go backwards. We tried everything. Here is Blake and I in a Hyperbaric Oxygen chamber trying to heal his brain.

Sadly, this is Blake 2-1/2 months later at his 2nd birthday. I had so many plans for a fun party for Blake, but he couldn't even hold his head up. Devastating.

That is why I HATE March 11th. It was one of the worst days of my life. Oh how I long to see his beautiful smile again. Thank goodness I have so many beautiful photos of Blake smiling.

Happy 5 1/2 Birthday Brielle! & Happy 1st Birthday Lucy!!!

2011-02-28T11:25:00.000-08:00

Brielle is SO excited to be 5 1/2!!! The 1/2 is soooo important to her. :) Someday she will wish she was younger, but for now we are enjoying her enthusiasm for her birthdays. Our family tradition is to save a piece of cake from their birthday and to wear our 1/2 a birthday hat that I made 16 years ago for Daniel's first 1/2 birthday.

Lucy turned one on Feb. 22! She LOVED her birthday cake!!! It was a special recipe of salmon, chicken, kibble and yogurt! Lucy is such a sweet and loving puppy. She loves to snuggle, go for walks, play tug a war, and greet everyone with lots of kisses. I never thought I'd be a dog owner, but Lucy (and Riley) have completely changed that.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-14T23:49:00.000-08:00

Brielle making Grandma Willy's sugar cookies. She is gotten so good at it that she does most of it all by herself. The boys also helped make the Christmas cookies this year. They got to choose two things each that they wanted to make. Daniel's favorite is fudge, Drew's is caramel rolls, Brielle's is sugar cookies, Greg's is the shortbread rolls and I love the Kuchen.

The kids visited our very special Santa. We thought he was going to 'retire' so this was a bonus year with the BEST Santa. Santa has been our special Santa for many years and it all started when he showed the most beautiful love for Blake. He took extra time with him, laid his hand on his head and bowed as if in prayer. It was beautiful cuz Santa is right next to God. ;)

We were able to get Grandma out of the nursing home for a few hours for Christmas. It was great we could all be together.

Brielle got Just Dance Kids- Wii and she loves dancing and singing along. She even talked Drew into joining her!

Would you believe I woke up in the middle of the night to get this photo of what Santa left? Brielle and Drew were up at 4:30 AM!!

Brielle has worn her Hello Kitty PJ's most every day since Christmas! (except for when they are in the wash!)

Brielle was up till 1 am ringing in the new year!

Dennis made us some AMAZING Lava flows! A favorite drink from Hawaii.

Lucy ringing in the new year!

Happy 2011!!!!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-22T00:21:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

I wanted to share our Christmas card and letter here.

We hope you all doing well and are enjoying the Christmas season. Here is a recap of our year.

The kids are growing up fast – fortunately Denise and I are not getting any older! Daniel is 16 and a junior; Drew, now 12, is in 6^th grade; and Brielle is 5 and in pre-K. Brielle loves school and wishes she could go all the time. Denise and Brielle also go cap of the Stuesse family’s year for 2010. to Spanish class each week and are learning a lot. It’s good that Daniel is in Spanish III so he can help them with their homework!

In June we went to St. Louis to visit my family. We had a big party with all the relatives and spent time at my sister-in-law’s family cabin on a river. Brielle went fishing for the first time and told Drew “You got 4 and I got 5”. Whenever she can “one-up” her brothers she is sure to let them know! The boys had a great time dirt bike riding (except when Drew crashed), shooting fireworks, and having target practice. We all enjoyed floating down the river on air mattresses and being with the family. Denise and Brielle also spent a few days there with a group of friends they know through adoption. It was a good time hanging out with lots of cute Guatemalan born kids!

Our big adventure in July was a 6-day rafting trip on the Salmon River with a group of friends. The scenery was awesome, the river was exciting, and the huge sand bars were great for camping. Daniel had a blast kayaking, and Drew and Brielle played hard with the other kids from morning till night. Denise loved soaking up the sun and reading with her toes in the water. I had fun rowing but won’t be trading my kayak for a raft anytime soon. We were all worn out by the end of the week and needed another vacation to rest up.

Relatively speaking the rest of the summer was more relaxing. All the hours at the pool really improved Brielle’s swimming. She is a total fish and can swim the length of the pool! A new mountain biking park opened nearby which was great fun for the boys and I. We honored Blake by raising money for the Make-a-Wish walkathon. Add in a few more camping trips and Brielle’s 5^th birthday and the summer flies by real fast! Denise also went Vegas with her mom for Alisha’s (her niece) wedding on 10/10/10. They loved the sun, the Lion King Show, the fancy hotels and hanging out together.

We have a new dog “Lucy”. Unfortunately Riley died suddenly possibly due to a heart attack. The breeder was able to give us another dog who is Riley’s half sister. Lucy loves to be loved! She can’t wait for someone to sit on the couch so she can snuggle in close. She rarely barks, loves to play fetch and is always nearby in case you want to give her a treat.

Denise and I have season tickets for all the Stuesse sporting events. Daniel’s sports include soccer, ultimate Frisbee and track. Drew plays soccer and lacrosse. Brielle plays soccer and will play softball in the spring. I help coach Drew’s and Brielle’s outdoor and now indoor soccer teams. Once the cold rains come in the fall its great fun to play indoors during the winter. Daniel is also signed up for ski bus so he can hit the slopes for several Saturdays this winter with his friends.

Denise continues to volunteer at Soulumination (a non-profit that photographs children with life-threatening diseases) by making beautiful photo bracelets for mothers with sick kids. Over the last four years she has made over 300 bracelets. It’s another way she keeps Blake’s memory alive.

We hope that 2010 has been a good year for you and may God bless you in 2011!

Worried about my mom...

2010-11-30T00:43:00.000-08:00

My mom has fallen and is in the hospital. She had a hip replacement 1- 1/2 years ago and fell on it. I'm not sure right now what all of her complications are from the fall, but I know she is in pain and dealing with yet another set back. I plan to spend the day with her tomorrow. So hard...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!

2010-11-01T22:19:00.000-07:00

Halloween was a lot of fun around here! Drew went as a fairy princess for his school party, but chose to go as a soccer player trick-or-treating in the neighborhood.

Brielle and Lucy were Bumble Bees!!!

Missing Blake....

2010-10-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

Such a sad anniversary-4 years ago today our sweet Blake went to Heaven. There is nothing as sad as saying good-bye to your own child. My heart aches so deeply today. It is the deepest pain imaginable. I long to snuggle Blake. He was such a sweet, sweet boy.

I long for the day when I am with my sweet boy again. I love you Blake!

1st Day of School!!!

2010-09-14T23:38:00.000-07:00

Brielle was super excited to start Pre-K

Brielle at Pre-K

Daniel walking into Eastlake as a Junior

Drew at Explorer with his friends

Drew as a 6th grader in front of Blake's garden

Brielle's 1st lost tooth!

2010-09-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my newly 5 year old lost her first tooth yesterday! She was SO EXCITED to have it out! I had some friends over and we all cheered when it came out. Brielle had been working on it for a couple of weeks. I love the baby teeth and told her just to leave it...but for some reason kids just love to have their teeth come out. She has another one loose and keeps asking me to pull it out as well! Very different from the boys who had me pull their teeth out while they were sleeping so they didn't know I was doing it!

Brielle's 5th Pinkalicious Party!!

2010-08-30T00:21:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby girl is 5! 5 years old just seems to be a big jump in age. I love being her mommy so much. She brings a lot of joy into our lives.

Brielle loves the book Pinkalicious so we chose that for her birthday party theme. All of the girls and a couple of the mom's had PINK HAIR!

The kids made pink beaded picture frames...

We played PINKO Bingo...

And they went on a treasure hunt looking for pink treasures that Pinkalicious's brother Peter took and hid from the girls...They found their treasures...

One girl at the party said, "I knew I was going to have fun, but I didn't know it would be THIS fun!" :)

We had a BIG cupcake cake...

More birthday fun...

We had to have PINK food and some green in case we ate too much pink! Pink popcorn, pink dip, pink M and M's, strawberries dipped in pink 'white' chocolate.

Here are the invitations...

Happy Birthday Brielle!!!!!!!!!!

Riley

2010-08-18T01:10:00.000-07:00

I am in shock and not really believing it. Our sweet puppy Riley went to Heaven on Sunday to be with Blake. We had NO idea anything was wrong with her. She was her usual self...full of love, life and happiness. Greg took the kids and Riley to a local park/lake to swim. She swam around for quite awhile as she just loves to swim. Then she hung out in the shade for awhile and rested. They started to walk back to the car and her legs became stiff and she just fell over. I met up with them, we rushed her a few blocks away to a friend's house who is a vet. She had died. She actually had died even before I got to see her. We are all just DEVASTATED. The Vet thinks it may have been her heart as Cavaliers have heart issues. However, her parents are fine with no heart issues.
We all loved Riley so much. She was only 1- 1/2 years old. We got Riley to help us all (and especially Drew) to deal with our great sadness of losing Blake. I cannot understand how we would have to lose again. We have all been crying for hours. I REALLY enjoyed having Riley hang out with me in the evenings as she was such a sweetie and LOVED sleeping with her. She helped me so much with missing Blake's snuggles. It is just so sad.

Brielle has said some cute things the past couple of days. Tonight we were talking about how we miss taking Riley for a walk and Brielle said, "Riley doesn't need a walk. She is running around up in Heaven and having a great time!" Today we were walking by a pet store and I was feeling sad. Brielle looked up at me and said, "We don't need to buy any dog food, cuz our dog died". Just the facts there. And last night Brielle was asking about Riley and who is up in Heaven if she is still down here. I started to talk about her soul and spirit and she was confused. I told her I'm not sure I have an answer for her that makes sense, but I'll think about it. She responded, "But you are a mom, you should know".
Our family is missing Riley so much. Daniel has stayed home for two days and just read books. He loves to read and finds comfort in his books. I know his heart is so sad. Drew is sad and thoughtful. He wants another dog to comfort him. He said he had a talk with Riley and told her that if he gets another dog it won't ever replace her, but just help him with his sadness. I find myself crying a lot and looking for Riley throughout the house. We are faced with deciding if we should get another puppy now or later or never. Many people have said another dog would help us heal. I believe this is to be true for Brielle, Drew and myself. Daniel thinks it is all too soon and Greg doesn't know even if he wants another dog. Our breeders offered us an 11 week old Cavalier. He is very cute.

I really believe in the old saying, "It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." I like to think that Riley is hanging out with Blake in Heaven and giving him lots of snuggles for us.

Summer is flying by!

2010-08-15T00:11:00.000-07:00

I haven't been too good of a Blogger this summer, but I suppose that means we have been too busy having fun in the sun! We had a fun adventure River Rafting the Salmon river in Idaho, a weekend of camping in Lake Chelan with Daniel's preschool group, days at the pool, and a long weekend in Wenatchee at our church's middle school camp. Many more details to come. But here are a few photos...

Happy 4th of July!!!

2010-07-05T00:57:00.000-07:00

We had a fun 4th of July in our neighborhood. It started with decorating Brielle's bike...

Then the kids were in the neighborhood parade...

Picnic fun...

Yes, it did rain in the evening, but around here they said summer starts on July 5th and this is when our sun is coming!! :)

Pony rides, Preschool Graduation, Tea Party and Cousins

2010-06-17T22:07:00.000-07:00

Brielle riding a pony at Amy's 4th Birthday party in the cul-de-sac.

Preschool Graduation!!! Brielle just LOVED preschool this year and I'm sure will miss it over the summer. She will be going to Pre-K next Fall.

Brielle with Teacher Helen and Teacher Mary. The 'fat lip' is from falling off Drew's skateboard!

Brielle, my mom and I flew to Minnesota to attend my cousins wedding. We had a Bridal Tea Party that was wonderful.

The Mall of America!

Brielle loves her uncle Bryan!

Willy Cousins...

I have 27 FIRST cousins on my mom's side of the family. 16 of the 27 gathered for Christine's wedding.

Blake's Birthday Celebration

2010-06-01T22:49:00.000-07:00

It was such a bitter sweet day. Drew made me wonderful crepes for breakfast in bed. He is such a sweet boy. We then snuggled with all of our special Blake bears. It was a very rainy day so we made Blake's favorite sugar cookies (Grandma Willy's recipe) in the shape of stars and frosted them blue-Blake's favorite color. I also spent time working in Blake's garden and making Blake's bracelets for Soulumination. We ended the day watching precious video of Blake. Happy Birthday sweet Blake!!!

HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY BLAKE!!!!

2010-05-29T23:53:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe Blake would be turning 9 on May 31. I miss him so very, very much. Oh how I wish I was busy baking him a cake, planning his birthday party and buying him presents...instead just tears for my sweet boy.
I miss the peaceful Blake...

I miss Blake's smirky smiles...

I miss his sweet smiles...

Happy 9th Birthday Blake! We hope you are having a wonderful celebration in Heaven. I love you and miss you deeply.

Favorite Foto Friday!!!

2010-05-28T00:40:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a FFF for a long time so here are a few favorites of Brielle this spring.

Mother's Day

2010-05-19T22:46:00.000-07:00

I love Mother's Day! Brielle had a wonderful Mother's Day tea at her preschool. They sang a beautiful song, served us treats and made us precious gifts. On Mother's Day the kids made me breakfast in bed...a favorite tradition. We spent the rest of the day with my mom. I am so thankful for having such a wonderful mom.

Beautiful Hike and Ski

2010-04-23T16:07:00.001-07:00

The guys had a fabulous day of skiing at Crystal Mountain. (Mt. Rainier in the background) Tons of fresh snow and sunshine. They LOVE to ski and especially in these conditions.

We hiked 4 miles to Rattlesnake Ridge (I don't like the name, but at least I didn't see any snakes!) Brielle did great as it was 2 miles UP...1,200 ft. elevation gain. It was warm and beautiful. Drew climbed down into this rock which was at the top of the hike. Riley LOVES to hike. She pulled us up the mountain!

Happy Easter!!!

2010-04-06T22:47:00.000-07:00

Riley on Easter THIS year...

Riley on Easter LAST year...

We had a nice Easter starting with Easter service at church and an egg 'pick up'. At home we decorated eggs and had an egg hunt of our own where the eggs were much harder to find.

Blake's garden is bright with spring color.

We had an egg hunt at our home-90 eggs!!! It was windy and cold so Brielle got bundled up.

Happy Family Day Brielle!!

2010-03-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

On March 22 we celebrated Brielle's 4th Family Day! I can't believe it was already 4 years ago that I brought Brielle home from Guatemala. What a joyous day that was!! Many friends and family welcomed Brielle home at the airport with signs, balloons, flowers, hugs and smiles.

It was so very precious to have all 4 of my kids together!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a happy baby!!! She makes us all smile.

We celebrated Family Day this year by enjoying our 'new' hot tub!!! Our hot tub has been broken for years and our neighbor gave us hers for free! Brielle LOVES swimming in it.

BUBBLES!!!!

2010-03-17T00:25:00.000-07:00

Riley LOVES jumping for bubbles! She will leap, jump and chase bubbles for as long as we are willing to blow them. Riley is the same way with blowing leaves and flower petals. She is just crazy on a windy day because there are so many things for her to chase in the wind.

Another sad anniversary

2010-03-12T00:52:00.000-08:00

March 11, 2003--Blake was 1- 1/2 years old. He had some developmental delays, but he was doing so many fabulous things like feeding himself, saying words, laughing and walking with the help of our hands. We were hopeful Blake would just continue to improve on his own time. But on this day 7 years ago Blake had a very, very long seizure
that lasted over an hour. It was just a nightmare. It started at Daniel's school, he continued in the ambulance and at Children's hospital. I remember just begging God to stop his seizure. It was so terrifying and horrible. Yet, the worst was yet to come. From that point on Blake never learned anything new. He only slowly lost all of the wonderful abilities he had learned. How heartbreaking it is to watch your precious child lose his sweet words, beautiful smile and eventually his ability to nurse and eat yummy foods.

Today I grieve. I grieve for the Blake that was before March 11, 2003 and I also grieve for the Blake after that day as well. My heart is heavy and so very sad for the loss of such a precious boy with the most amazing bright smile.

Happy 4 1/2 Birthday Brielle!!

2010-02-22T00:22:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my baby is 4 1/2!!! She really needs to slow down. We had a fun day celebrating at the beach. Yes, the beach. It was SUNNY and near 60*. If you live in the NW you know everyone goes crazy when the sun comes out and especially in the winter. You would have thought it was a hot summer day at the beach today! We brought Brielle's birthday cake (saved from her party in August) to the beach and sang happy birthday to her. She was loving it and kept getting away with things today because it was her 1/2 birthday.

My Valentine's and Girl's Day

2010-02-16T22:10:00.000-08:00

Brielle and I had a fun girls day on Friday while the boys were skiing. We went to Build a Bear and loved creating Maya. Brielle had so much fun choosing, washing, dressing and loving her new bear. I loved it too! It's so fun doing girly girl things together. :)

Valentine's Day with my sweeties...

Brielle was SO excited to have a Valentine box just like Drew!

Missing Erin on this Valentine's Day. 13 years ago she went to Heaven. Praying that she and Blake are loving on eachother.

Questions for Brielle

2010-02-06T23:18:00.000-08:00

1. What if you could have a wild animal for a pet. What would it be and why?
*A fox because it's crazy
2. What if you won a million dollars. How would you spend it?
*I would give money to poor people.
3.What if you were president for one day. What would you do?
*Pray to God.
4. What if you had a genie that could grant you one wish. What would it be?
*To give money to the poor people.
5.What if you could travel back in time. Where and when would you go?
*I would want to go back to Tacoma to see Grandma and I would want to go to the market in Guatemala.
6. If you were stranded on a desert island what is the one thing you would want with you?
*Riley
7. What does it mean to be adopted?
*Adopted means tricky stuff with Orfi (foster family).You can get a kid by babysitting. Aunt Julie had a baby and then she adopted him.

Happy 1st Birthday Riley!!

2010-02-01T11:12:00.000-08:00

Riley turned one on January 29th! We celebrated Riley's birthday by going to the dog park where Riley loves to run free with other dogs. I made her a chicken/peanutbutter cake with dog treats for sprinkles. I know, I must REALLY love her to do that! Drew is the one who talked us all into getting a dog, but all of us have really enjoyed her. :) She is a very loving, fun and sweet dog.

Pajama Day!

2010-01-30T22:00:00.000-08:00

Brielle had pajama day at preschool. She was beyond excited to go to school that morning. And she looked darling! She asked me, "Do I look cute mommy?" Of course!!! I just wanted to eat her up!

Brielle amazed me by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. I love her enthusiasm and she said she just feels like it needs an 'amen' at the end!

The Arabian Nights

2010-01-30T21:38:00.001-08:00

Drew play the 'short man' in The Arabian Nights. He did such a fabulous job. His lines were funny and he spoke them with passion.

The joys of a warm, SUNNY winter day

2010-01-21T23:34:00.001-08:00

I LOVE a warm, SUNNY winter day in January!!! We have had way too much rain lately and the sun makes me happy. Brielle enjoyed time at the playground and also at the dog park with Riley and her friend, Dixie.

Drew and his friend, Kevin enjoyed building/fixing up a fort in the sun.

A special honor...

2010-01-06T00:10:00.000-08:00

Blake's picture with Brielle kissing him is now on display at the Governor's office in Olympia. http://soulumination.org/blog.html Their picture is in the 2nd photo on the bottom left. You can see Brielle leaning over and kissing Blake.

Lynette at Soulumination photographed Blake just two weeks before he passed. I have been involved with this great organization ever since. Soulumination is a non-profit that photographs terminally ill children and their families. I have made 250 or so photo bracelets in the past 3 years for mother's of these precious children. It is heartbreaking work, but I love giving such a meaningful gift to these mothers.

I love knowing Blake and Brielle are at the Governor's office for all to see and hopefully to be touched by their love for eachother. Brielle still talks about Blake everyday and my heart aches for him many times a day each and every day.

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-01T23:25:00.000-08:00

Happy 2010!!! Sounds like a date wayyyyy off in the future!
We had a fun New Years celebrating with friends...food, drinks, games and laughter. We even learned and celebrated the Scottish tradition of Hogmanay!

The boys playing Wii...

Notice Riley trying to have a new years drink!

Brielle was up till 1:00 am!

My Dad

2009-12-25T00:18:00.000-08:00

16 years ago today we said good-bye to my Dad. It was such a huge loss for us all. The loss of a dad, a husband, a friend and a Papa. It hurts me that my kids will never know their Papa except through the stories we share with them. My dad had a lot of great sayings and we like to use them. My favorite is, "If you are waiting on me, you're backing up". He would also say, "Greetings" instead of hi. He was known to belt out a "Day O, Day O!" at any time. He loved to read and he adored the two Grandchildren that he did get to spend time with. Dad was overjoyed when I told him I was pregnant. Unfortunately, he died before Daniel was born. My dad's name is Daniel. As a child they called him Danny and mostly Dan as an adult. This is a picture of us on my wedding day. I'm so thankful he was there to walk me down the isle. He couldn't wait for his part in the ceremony where he got to say, 'her mother and I'. :) I love you Dad!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

2009-12-18T23:25:00.001-08:00

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!! I've been making a photo card like this for 17 years! The color copies have improved so much! I love collecting the favorite pictures of our year and using them on our card. I could never choose just one photo!

Drew's 11th Birthday!

2009-12-18T22:49:00.001-08:00

Drew celebrated his 11th birthday with his friends . They went to Sky High and jumped and jumped. Brielle loved it too! Then they came back to have Drew's favorite-ice cream cake and for a sleepover over. Happy Birthday Drew!!!!!

I'm thankful for my kids...

2009-12-02T00:04:00.000-08:00

Brielle-4 years

Daniel (15) helping making Thanksgiving mashed potatoes

Drew (10) making rolls with his cousins

Sweet Blake at 3 years . It is his 8 1/2 birthday today...

Mud!!!

2009-11-13T22:12:00.001-08:00

Drew played in a soccer tournament last weekend in the pouring RAIN. The boys played so hard even though they were freezing! The second game it stopped raining, but the MUD was terrible! It was an exciting end to the season for the Bandits.
Brielle goes to every game and sits with me and cheers right along. If I miss a play I will ask her and she usually knows what happened. She will cheer things like, "down the line", "nice boot" and "not there, no one is down there".

Halloween!!

2009-11-03T21:20:00.000-08:00

The kids loved Halloween! They were a butterfly and Waldo. Brielle went out trick-or-treating for 3 hours and got 4 1/2 lbs of candy!!! Drew ended up with 8 lbs! What to do with it all???

Remembering Blake

2009-10-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

Sadly, today is the 3rd anniversary of when our precious Blake entered Heaven. It is so hard for me to believe it has been 3 years since I ran my fingers through his soft hair, kissed his sweet cheeks, snuggled him close or breathed his sweet smells. Oh how I miss Blake. My heart aches to be with him. Blake was only 5 years old when he left us...much too young to enter Heaven.

I used to love scrapbooking while snuggling Blake. :)

I miss holding Blake like this (I miss the muscles that came with it too!)

I love you Blake!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-10T18:02:00.000-07:00

A beautiful Fall day enjoying the pumpkin patch. Brielle could barely pick up her pumpkin!

Brielle's Finger Trick

2009-09-30T23:09:00.001-07:00

Ever since I can remember Brielle has been doing her 'finger trick' to help get herself to sleep. She needs to have a Gymboree (or she is ok with an imitation!) blanket in each hand. She puts her fingers in and out of the blanket edge. She is proud of her 'trick' and likes to teach us just how she does it. :) I wonder how long it will last? And because I don't know that answer I took these precious pictures to capture her special finger trick.

We all have the flu this week and Riley has been so sweet. She has been helping put Brielle to sleep. It is the sweetest thing to see the two of them snuggle up in their pink bed and drift off to sleep. Brielle has her finger trick here too!

FFF: Fall(?) Fun!!

2009-09-25T20:49:00.001-07:00

The first day of Fall was nice and toasty here (in the 80's) so the girls had to cool off with the hose.

Lots of soccer in the fall. All three kids are playing. Brielle is practicing her skills on the sidelines of Drew's game.

FFF-SUMMER!

2009-09-19T00:14:00.000-07:00

It's so close to Fall, but our summer just keeps on going! I LOVE it! We have had tons of sun since spring!

Brielle can be a girly girl or a tough little girl. Just love her! My favorite little girl climbing a tree...

Way Back Wednesday-

2009-09-16T00:12:00.001-07:00

Daniel-7 years, Drew-3 years, Blake 7 months

Brielle-11 months

Favorite Foto Friday-Circus!

2009-09-11T19:50:00.000-07:00

I chose Circus as my FFF this week since we went to the circus last night. What a great time we had. They really do a fabulous show with some magic that I just couldn't believe! :) I loved watching the JOY in Brielle's eyes as she watched everything. The boys (Drew and his friend, Kevin) were loving it too and especially enjoyed the dog tricks.

These were taken while waiting to go into the circus. We are having fabulous Sept. weather!!

First Day of School

2009-09-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe it is September and the kids are back in school. I love summer so much that it is hard for me to see it end. I think the only one who was truely excited to go to school was Brielle. She is in the 4's class at a new preschool this year. We are so excited about her school and know she will have a great year.

Daniel is starting 10th grade in High School! It is a fairly easy transition for him since he has been at the same building for Jr. High. He and his friends have been spending as much time as possible together.

Drew is in the 5th grade this year with a new teacher. Drew would prefer to stay home with Riley and ride on his new longboard, but I think once the school year gets going he will enjoy it.

Happy 4th Birthday Brielle!!!!

2009-08-22T23:16:00.000-07:00

My baby girl is 4 years old!!! Brielle celebrated her 4th birthday with a Fancy Nancy theme birthday party with 8 of her friends. The Fancy Nancy books are favorites of hers. It was the perfect theme for the party. All of the girls and moms came dressed fancy (like Nancy). They were so darling.
I made a fondant cake (with the help of Susie-friend and neighbor). I wanted it to be fancy and we loved how it turned out. Fondant is actually really easy to work with. It's just like playing with playdough!

I read the original Fancy Nancy story to the kids and talked about what is plain and what is fancy.

We took plain bags and made them fancy!

Fancy girls!

Brielle dancing with her friend.

Presents!

Frenchy! Brielle's eyes lit up when she opened this. :)

Hugs...

Make A Wish

2009-08-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

A group of us walked in the first annual Make A Wish Walk-A-Thon on Sunday. It was a fabulous day, lots of sunshine, yummy food and good friends. Our team was Team Blake. We walked 5K to help raise funds for this great organization. It was good to honor Blake by giving back to something that blessed our life. It was also bitter sweet remembering Blake's Wish trip to Maui.
Hurray! We made it!!

Blake's Wish trip to Maui-April 2006

My little athelete...

2009-07-25T21:00:00.001-07:00

Brielle is such a great little athelete. I guess it helps to have big brothers to show you the way and make you tough. She loves jumping off the diving board and doing 180's. She was so close today to doing a 360*! She also loves to dive for things and swim and swim and swim until she is exhausted! I love spending our days at the pool enjoying the laughter and the sunshine. :)

So relaxed!...

Brielle is quite the soccer player as well. She plays on a 4-5 year old team even tho she is still 3 till Aug. 21. It's so fun seeing her challenge these much older kids. I of course enjoying cheering her on just as I do for the boys. (once a cheerleader, always a cheerleader!) :) I got so excited as Brielle almost scored, the camera went crazy.

Yes, the grass is terribly brown. We have had FABULOUS weather this summer, but no rain!

Hillsboro Mission Trip 2009

2009-07-11T22:51:00.000-07:00

It has been a week since we got back from Hillsboro, Oregon and I'm finally catching up! We had a fabulous trip and exhausting too. We went with a group of 50 teenagers from our church. We all slept at the church (Brielle, Drew, a friend and I all slept in the library!) Each morning we would go to the community park to weed, plant flowers and bark the park.

One morning a group of us went to a retirement center. We got to spend time with some of the Alzheimer's patients. I fell in love with Henry...

He was such a hoot! We were chatting and he just said, "lets dance!" and he started to sing Oh what a beautiful morning! He had a lot of great one liners that made me laugh. He really made my day.

In the afternoons we led VBS (vacation bible school) for children in the area and from local migrant camps. Our teens were the leaders we just were there to watch over them. I was so proud of my boys as well as the group of girls I worked with. Fun with shaving cream...

Brielle had so much fun. I loved how Brielle just blended right in. Only her hair bow gave her away.

Daniel and his friend...

In the evenings we would go to the migrant camps in the area. I really enjoyed the ride to the camps in the bus as everyone was silent as we listened to worship music, prayed and enjoyed the amazing scenery. There is something about farms and fields that is just so peaceful. It is just something magical.

My very favorite thing we did was my group of girls all donated $ to buy Hispanic looking dolls to give to the girls at the migrant camps. We were able to bring 25 dolls.

This little girl was so sweet. She didn't speak any English so she didn't seem to understand what Brielle was doing. I had another little girl come over to translate for me and as soon as she understood her face just lit up!

A group of boys (including mine) also donated $ to buy soccer balls, playground balls and frisbees for the kids...

Each family lives in 1/2 of the white house you can see in the photo.

I coundn't resist this one...She must have had fun berry picking with her parents all day!...

On the last day we got to have a 'fun day'. We all drove out to Canon Beach to enjoy the beautiful sunshine...

We topped off the 'fun day' with some shopping. Brielle had a sugar drink earlier and was crazy in the mall...she just kept hiding in clothes and running wild!

I just wanted to add that although I love these teenage girls, their drama wore me out! Everything said and done has drama. Not looking forward to that with Brielle! Boys are MUCH easier as teens.

Happy 4th of July!!!

2009-07-04T22:27:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!!!! Here's a look down memory lane of past 4ths (at least since we have had a digital camera!!)...

2005

Snuggling Blake while watching the fireworks...

2006

Our WHOLE family...(well, I guess we didn't have Riley yet!)

2007...

2008...

2009...

Drew and his best buddy...

R
4th of July parade...

Silly 4th fun with best buddies...

FFF: Soccer!!!

2009-06-26T01:08:00.001-07:00

I chose SOCCER as my FFF theme. Brielle is playing on a Micro soccer team and LOVING it. She has watched her brothers play soccer many times and now it's finally her turn. She has her new cleats and is wearing a Guatemalan soccer shirt (that I bought for Blake when I was visiting Brielle at 10 weeks of age). Brielle enjoys playing with her friends. She is a good soccer player as her daddy has been teaching her well. I can't wait to see their first game! One thing I noticed that was different is that some of these girls don't want to take the ball from someone else. They were taught to share and not to take things from other people. Now all of a sudden they are told to steal the ball!! Brielle has no problem stealing the ball as she has two big brothers!

A bit blurry, but look at that look of determination!

Happy Father's Day Greg!

2009-06-20T20:55:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day to a fabulous dad to our children. Greg is such a good dad-he takes the time to be interested in their lives, he loves to hike, bike, ski, play soccer, throw a frisbee and any other activity with the kids. He loves them unconditionally and they know and feel his love. We are all blessed.
Daniel and Greg

Drew, Brielle and Greg

Blake and Greg

Brielle and Greg

Happy Father's Day to my dad as well! I love you and miss you.

FFF~Playgrounds

2009-06-11T22:27:00.001-07:00

I chose Playgrounds as my theme this week. We have been spending a lot of time at playgrounds lately and loving it. Brielle has mastered the bars and just loving it! She does it again and again. Look at her determination. I just love this little girl. :)

If you would like to see more FFF just go to http://www.blenza.com/linkies/links.php?owner=ssmglewis&postid=11Jun2009&meme=frf to see more.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-10T11:25:00.001-07:00

Summer is coming SOON!!!!!

2009-06-09T14:33:00.000-07:00

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Summer!!!!!!!!!!! We have had the BEST weather for the past 3-4 weeeks-lots of sun. Here are a few signs of summer...

Happy 8th Birthday Blake!

2009-05-30T23:01:00.000-07:00

Happy 8th Birthday Blake! In honor of Blake's 8th Birthday I have been looking back on his birthday celebrations with us. This is such a sad and difficult time to celebrate, as I miss Blake so very much and I would love to throw him a huge 8 year old birthday party. However, I want to celebrate Blake's life and the JOY he brought to us all. Each year with Blake was a blessing, starting with his birth on May 31, 2001. He was a big boy weighing 9lbs. 15 oz. Such a precious baby boy.

We chose Blake's 1st Birthday theme to be butterflies. Blake had undergone a few surgeries in his first year of life and we felt he was experiencing new life as the butterfly does. We had Uncle Curt play his guitar and we sang some of Blake's favorite songs like, "If all of the raindrops were lemon drops and gumdrops" and the Elevator song which he knew parts to each of these.

Ryan, Blake and Cousin Ryan

Sitting up with his presents

Blake's 2nd Birthday was a farm theme. We had great hopes for his 2nd birthday. On March 11, 2003 Blake suffered a very long seizure (over a hour long). From that day on he slowly lost so many of the wonderful abilities that he had. His words, his smiles and most notably his ability to hold his body up by himself. He was taking valium as a bridge between seizure meds and this was part of the reason he was so 'floppy'. He was to be weaned off the valium by his birthday. We planned a big birthday bash, but as Blake's party came closer we realized he wasn't going to be able to do many of the things we were planning.

Sadly, he didn't enjoy his horse ride too much...

But we did have a real bunny for Blake to enjoy the softness of it's touch. Overall, this was probably the most difficult birthday for me as I had so much hope of having a fun, typical 2 year old party for Blake and was deeply saddened that he really couldn't enjoy his special day.

Wishes was Blake's 3rd Birthday theme. We had come to realize the most important things for Blake was for him to feel our love, hear, see and smell beautiful things. We asked friends and family to send Blake 3 year old wishes that we compiled in Blake's Wish book. We decorated his party with lots of pretty blue lights (blue being Blake's favorite color and Blake liked looking at lights). We also had many candles around us. We had everyone who came to the party read their wishes to Blake and we read wishes of some of those who couldn't be there as well. There were many tears as we read. Drew made a special box to put all of Blake's wishes in.

Mommy's Wish

To my sweet Blake, I wish so much for you...

I wish you PEACE

*for you to live without pain or suffering.

*for you to find comfort in our loving touches.

I wish you JOY

*for days filled with your smiles and laughter.

*for you to enjoy playing with your brothers.

I wish you HEALING

*for your VGM to disappear.

*for your brain to work as it should.

I wish you STRENGTH

*for you to continue to have the will to fight this terrible problem

I wish you LOVE

*for you to know and feel the immense love I have for you.

Happy 3rd Birthday Blake!

I LOVE YOU!!! Mommy

We gave Blake a fish tank for his birthday as we thought he might enjoy the sound of the water and watching the colorful fish swim around.

One of the greatest miracles of Blake's 3rd birthday were his Birthday smiles!!!!!!!!!! He had not had many smiles in the past few months and Blake had a string of smiles that will forever be some of my most favorite smiles.

We celebrated Blake's 4th Birthday with a Mickey Mouse theme. We had visited Disneyland the month before Blake's birthday. I was able to see Blake's birthdays now as a gift instead of focusing on the saddness of what he wasn't able to do. Each birthday meant a celebration that Blake is still with us and that was something to celebrate!

We made shrinky dink Mickey Mouses with messages for Blake and hung them above his swing for him to enjoy.

Since we had just come back from Blake's Make a Wish trip to Maui, a Hawaiian luau party was a perfect theme for Blake's 5th birthday. We all wore homemade leis, drank Lava Flows and did the limbo. It was a great celebration of Blake's life. We had a power point that Daniel put together showing many pictures of Blake growing up.

Blake loved to be warmed by the sun.

Blake enjoyed swimming in a warm pool and I loved dancing around with him in the pool. So on his real birthday we took Blake swimming.

HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY BLAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We love you and miss you with all of our hearts.

Brielle's First Wedding Experience

2009-05-30T22:39:00.000-07:00

We went to our friend's daughter's wedding on Saturday and Brielle loved it all. She sang "Going to the Chapel and were going to get married" all day in anticipation of the wedding. Brielle had so many great questions. Here are a few of them...

*Why can't those people just walk themselves down the isle?

*Are those the important people?

*Why are they washing eachothers feet? Did they get new shoes?

*"Ewww that's messy!" After they smashed cake in eachother's faces.

*"Do we get to have cake now?" As soon as the wedding was over.

Brielle did enjoy lots of wedding cake and danced with a lot of energy. She was awake till 11:00pm!

A great day for a hike!!!

2009-05-23T22:56:00.000-07:00

We went on a fabulous 5 1/2 mile hike today at Wallace Falls in the SUNSHINE!!!!!! It was Riley's first hike and she made it the whole way...now she is exhausted! I wish we could have weather like this EVERY day!!

Wordless Wednesday...

2009-05-20T00:34:00.001-07:00

FFF-Mom

2009-05-08T14:22:00.001-07:00

Boy, I have been MIA lately...too busy to type. Lots of soccer and lacrosse games, school camp, taking care of Riley, scrapbooking and gardening.

Mother's Day is my favorite holiday. I LOVE being a mom to all my kiddos and even my newest baby, Riley! I also enjoy celebrating my mom who is a fabulous role model.

Even tho we are in the hospital, this is one of my favorite pictures with all of my kids...

Daniel gets me to do crazy things...

Drew is such a sweetheart...

I love and miss Blake's beautiful smile...

My girl-someone to do all those girly girl things with! ...

Last Mother's Day... Riley with her mommy, Sizzle...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!

The cutest dog ever...

2009-04-23T00:42:00.000-07:00

Riley is such a fun, happy little puppy. She loves to meet new people and dogs. She has only been with us for 2 1/2 weeks and it seems like she has been a part of our family much longer. Everywhere we go people stop us to see our cute puppy.
She has been getting new fluffy fur. She is changing every day!

FFF-Theme : WET!

2009-04-17T20:04:00.001-07:00

This weeks theme is WET. Here is Brielle trying to get me wet with a water balloon at 1 1/2 years old!Brielle running through the sprinklers in the spring at 2 1/2 years old!

A favorite wet picture of mine...Brielle enjoying the wet at 1 1/2 years old.

One of my favorite things to do with Blake was to take him swimming. He would just relax in my arms and we would dance around the pool...

Happy Easter!!!

2009-04-12T23:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! We had Easter "Washington style"-in the rain! Egg hunts were inside, but still fun. We started our day off with a great Easter service at church, then an egg hunt, bunny holding, another egg hunt at home, egg dying, making Easter cookies (Grandma Willy's recipe of course!) and eating.

Favorite Foto Friday

2009-04-10T00:09:00.000-07:00

Since there is no FFF theme this week I choose Easters past...

And a picture of Riley-just because she is cute!!

Introducing the newest member of our family-Riley!

2009-04-06T14:34:00.000-07:00

We brought home our sweet baby girl yesterday--Riley. We are all in love with her and think she is the cutest puppy ever! ;) She is very sweet and loving, but also really fun and loves to play. She is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and she is 9 weeks old. Born January 29, 2009.

We had to take a hour long ferry ride to pick up Riley. It was a beautiful day-a great family adventure. Everyone was so excited. You can see the Space Needle in the background...

The breeder has both Riley's mom and dad so we got to meet them as well as her brother and sister...This is her mommy and siblings...It was so fun for everyone to have a puppy to hold!

We then drove to my mom's house on the way home where she met my mom, brother and nephews. Then we finally made it home around 9 last night! It was a big day. She slept well last night. Since I'm a night owl I had her 'go' at 12:30, she wimpered around 2 then back to sleep till 6:30. It seemed pretty good to me for a 9 week old. She was trained to go on newspaper in the house so she doesn't quite get what to do when we take her out. So I brought some newspaper outside and that seems to be working.

A cute Drew story: Before bed last night Drew started to cry. I asked him why and he said he was worried because Riley had pooped and peed in the house that we might not get to keep her. Nope, she's staying. He also was so worried that he might mess up and not teach her right. Bless his sweet heart. I reassured him that Riley feels his deep love for her and that is what will make her a sweet puppy.

Follow Your Heart

2009-04-04T01:22:00.001-07:00

Favorite Foto Friday-Beach

2009-04-03T16:18:00.000-07:00

I love the theme this week~Beaches! Oh how I wish I was at a warm beach basking in the sun, but instead I will enjoy the memories of being at some great beaches...

Skiing!!!!

2009-04-02T00:11:00.000-07:00

I went skiing for the first time in 16 years!!! I thought it would be super hard, but with the new skis it was actually much easier than I remembered it! It was fun being able to ski with Greg and the boys. We went up with Greg's sister, niece and nephew. Thanks to Grandma Stuesse for watching Brielle all day so I could go. :)

Favorite Foto Friday-Unique

2009-03-27T00:29:00.000-07:00

This weeks theme is unique. We spent the day in Seattle with Greg's mom, sister, niece and nephew. I took a few photos of Brielle that I thought were a bit unique...Notice the Space Needle in the background...

If you would like to see more unique photos you can view them at http://kissthefrog4me.blogspot.com/2009/03/favorite-foto-friday-83-unique.html

Family Day

2009-03-23T13:06:00.001-07:00

Embassy Day!!! March 21, 2006-Brielle's 7 month birthday

Swimming at the Marriott in Guatemala City...

One of the happiest moments of my life...Brielle was in my arms FOREVER. The warm sun was shining down on us, I was drinking a papaya smoothy and MY DAUGHTER was drinking her bottle and peacefully falling to sleep in my arms after lots of fun and laughter in the pool....a magical moment. Brielle was an angel on the long flight home. I was bursting with excitement to share her with everyone at home.

All smiles at the airport!!

Our princess is home...March 22, 2006~Brielle's Family Day

We are so thankful and honored to be Brielle's parents. She brings us so much joy and laughter..

Family Day 2009

Favorite Foto Friday-Green

2009-03-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

This weeks theme is Green. Brielle is wearing her St. Patrick's Day Green and reading to her baby.

Daniel's soccer team wears Green! Their team so far has one tie and one win.

Drew's "GREEN" Valentine's box made out of all natural or recycled materiels!

Brielle in green a few years ago...

Brielle Worshiping God

2009-03-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

The sweetest thing happened yesterday while I was driving, but here is a little background first:

During a recent worship service at our church, Brielle noticed people raising their hands in worship to God. She asked me many questions about what they were doing and what does it mean. Then she too raised her hands. Our Jr/Sr. High Youth pastor was behind us and she copied EVERYTHING he did....if he raised one hand she would too. If he raised two hands, closed his eyes, nodded his head etc., she would as well. What a great role model. It was very sweet.

So yesterday in the car a song came on the radio that we had sung during the worship service. She immediately raised her hand in worship. She kept her little hand up as long as the song was on and sang along as much as she knew the words. I had tears in my eyes and told her when the song was over that God was smiling down on her.

Favorite Foto Friday-THEN

2009-03-13T21:08:00.001-07:00

Then....Our WHOLE family in Maui together...Brielle 10 weeks old in Guatemala ...

Brielle at 1 year...

Brielle at 2 years...
Brielle at 3 years...
They grow up tooooo fast!!!

Favorite Foto Friday-February Favorites!

2009-03-06T00:59:00.000-08:00

Brielle is surrounded by many of her dolls as well as a few of mine! We have fun dressing them up and putting bows in their hair.

Mutual adoration...

A day at the zoo...

My friend Laura and I decided we wanted to get a picture with the Orangutans too!

A favorite of Blake...his smile melts my heart...

Drive In Movie Night!

2009-03-05T15:00:00.000-08:00

Brielle had a Drive In Movie night at her preschool with her Daddy and LOVED it! They made and decorated their own cars, then watched a 'movie' and ate snacks in their car. I'm not sure who loved it more, Brielle or Daddy making such a fancy car!!

She is also Star of the week and got to share in front of the class today. It was an exciting week for her!

BRACES!!!

2009-03-05T14:51:00.000-08:00

Daniel got Braces this week! He has been hurting and not eating too much. Hopefully he will start to feel better soon so he can eat! He should have them for 1- 1/2 years...seems like a long time, but I bet it will go by quickly!

Another thing Daniel has been up to is trying out for the High School Soccer team. He made the Freshman/Sophmore team and is excited for the season! We are so proud of you Daniel. :)

Favorite Foto Friday-Silly!

2009-02-27T08:38:00.000-08:00

Silly is a great theme and so easy to find silly pictures of the kids that make us smile.
Brielle wearing LOTS of bows. Drew loves to put all of Brielle's bows in her hair and also in HIS hair sometimes!...
One year old Brielle being silly in a tub... Dress up...notice Drew being silly in a dress!!!...He would do anything for his little sister...

Brielle being silly trying to get me to smell her stinky feet...

Brielle and Drew being making silly faces with their cousins...

Grandma being silly in Mexico...a favorite of mine!...

Daniel trying to get Brielle to smile!....

HAPPY 3 1/2 BIRTHDAY BRIELLE!!!!!!!!!

2009-02-21T23:46:00.000-08:00

Today, February 21, 2009 is Brielle's 3 1/2 Birthday. She is so excited! I was explaining to her what 1/2 meant and said it was 1/2 way between 3 and 4 years and just saying 4 years made me sad...she is growing up so fast. I just love her right now so very much, I'm not ready for my baby girl to grow up any more. She tells me she can't help it. :)

Our family tradition is to put on our 1/2 a birthday hat, take out a piece of cake from the freezer that was stored on their birthday and sing Happy 1/2 Birthday. Brielle couldn't wait to eat the cake and ice cream!

Another tradition we have is taking a picture on birthdays and 1/2 birthdays with the bear in the chair. It's fun to see the pictures all together.
Brielle figures now that she is older she should be able to get a dog and stay up later at night as well as other privledges. She was asking me today if she could have a dog when she is older, then she stopped herself and said, "that's right, I am older, I'm 3 1/2 so can I have a dog?"

I took a bunch of pictures of Brielle tonight just because she is so darn cute!

I got a couple of good ones of Brielle and Drew. They are so sweet together (when they are not fighting!) :)

Brielle is totally into wearing shorts and a T-shirt. The minute she wakes us she runs to get on shorts and a t-shirt. I don't let her wear it out of the house since it's winter so the minute she gets home she runs upstairs to change back into her shorts and t-shirt! Meanwhile I am all bundled up and still freezing!

Favorite Foto Friday~Fake out

2009-02-19T23:50:00.001-08:00

Brielle has a beautiful smile, but sometimes she gives me this fake smile that is so funny. Here are a few of her fake smiles....

A really fake smile on the airplane.."just get it over with mom!"

She's trying, but not feeling it!...

But it is so worth it when you get a great photo like this with beautiful smiles!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-18T00:04:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T00:57:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is a day of Love, but for me it is also a day of sorrow mixed with great joy. The sorrow happened on February 14, 1997. The day we lost our precious baby girl-Erin. We will remember her by going to Twin Falls where we held her memorial service and plant a flower in her memory as well as one for Blake.

Today we traveled once again to Twin Falls to plant our flowers and take a short hike. It was a beautiful day-very mild. Due to the flooding earlier this year, Erin and Blake's garden had been washed away, but three of the plants remained and we could see small blue flowers starting to bloom. We built up the walls even bigger and better than before. Brielle really got into the building. I miss you Erin and Blake...Happy Valentine's Day.

The great joy happened on February 14, 2006. That was the day I got THE CALL from our adoption agency saying that Brielle was OUT of PGN and she would be coming home soon!!!!!!!! I told the boys and Greg the news by giving them a valentine from 'fake Brielle' that said, "I'm Out of PGN!" There was a lot of dancing, celebrating and screaming going on that Valentine's Day.

Favorite Foto Friday~LOVE

2009-02-12T23:10:00.001-08:00

I LOVE it when my kids are being sweet to eachother....

I LOVE Brielle's love of life and big smiles....

I LO VED the coziness of snuggling Blake...feeling his soft skin, touching his hair and smelling his sweet smell. I LOVE the sun!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-11T23:33:00.000-08:00