Dear Addie,

This week you will celebrate your 4th Birthday! You are going to be FOUR years old. No matter how many times I write it, I can't believe it! It just doesn't seem possible!! Where has the time gone? Four years ago you came into this world as a sweet, innocent, feisty baby and we have watched you develop into a beautiful little girl. You are amazing, Addie! There are so many things I love about you.... so many ways you inspire me and so many things you have taught me in just four years. My life was forever changed on the day I saw you first time.

You have experienced so much more in 4 years than many others experience in a lifetime. Your tiny body has been through so much, yet only the slightest bit of a scar remains. Whatever challenge you have been faced with, you have been determined to fight your way through it...YOUR way! You've challenged every rule book, medical journal and doctor! You keep everyone on their toes.... never knowing exactly what to expect from you. You have fought through the tubes and lines, endless pokes and pricks, countless medications, and pain and discomfort and become a healthy, happy, vibrant girl.

You have always had the most amazing and carefree smile! It's contagious.... when you smile, it seems to make me forget all of my fears and know that everything is going to be okay. I remember many times during your first year of life, while you were sedated and had the breathing tube in, and just when I'd think I was going to break down, you would open your big, brown eyes and flash a nice big smile right through the tubes and wires. It would only last a second, but it would give me so much hope that everything was going to be okay!

You are so strong, Addie. The strongest person I have ever met! Just feeling your strength gives me just enough to get by during the toughest times. I wish everyday that it could be me instead of you.... I wish I could take away all the pain you've ever experienced. But, I can't and I don't think I could ever have as much strength as you have. No matter what the circumstance your strong will shines right through. You never let anyone forget that YOU are in charge.

You are amazingly loving. Whether it's picking you up from school, or just going outside for a minute, I am always greeted with several "mama's" and tons of hugs. It melts my heart EVERY SINGLE TIME! You have a heart of gold. You love so many people and it is impossible not to love you back! You would do just about anything you possibly could to brighten someone else's day. You make your way around a room making sure that everyone gets their share of Addie time!


You LOVE your brother so much.... you like to torture him, and even though he gets mad at you, he loves you very, very much too!

In August you started preschool. I was so nervous to let you go, even for such a short amount of time. You were unsure at first, to say the least. But over the past 8 months you have adjusted nicely and learned to love every second of your time there. You have won the hearts of ALL of your teachers and pretty much have them wrapped around your little finger! You have grown so much and in so many ways since you started school. I'm amazed at the difference in you and know that it was the best decision we've ever made! There is NO doubt that you love "Steen" ....

....and I'm pretty sure she likes you too! :)

Yesterday we celebrated 4 of the most wonderful and amazing years of my life. Four years since we were given an amazing gift. Addie you have taught us all so much during that time. I am a stronger, more patient, more forgiving, more loving person because of you. You have shown me what life is all about. You have taught me the importance of living and enjoying each and every day as there is never a guarantee of tomorrow. You are an inspiration to me.... you smile through the pain and laugh through the tears. You are persistent and have never been defeated. You often take your own course, with plenty of obstacles, but you always win in the end. You are unique, you have your own sense of style and are never afraid to express yourself.... I hope that is something that will never change. You are one very special little girl, Miss Addie, and there will never be anyone else quite like you! I hope you never afraid to be the best you that you can be. You are a miracle... there are so many reasons why you shouldn't still be here, but yet you are.... stronger and more vivacious every single day. You have been so healthy and you never let your disability get in your way.... you walk around with your little heart like you own the world. You aren't afraid to take chances or make mistakes... that inspires me so much and I SO love that about you! You are careful who you let into your world...you are slow to trust at times, but once you've decided you can trust someone, they win a forever place in your amazing heart. You have a great sense of style, a beautiful personality and you make my world a much better place!

This year your birthday is a little bittersweet... This week we will celebrate you and spoil you rotten..... and next week you will embark on your next big journey. The last step in giving you as close to a normal life as possible. You have a rough few weeks ahead of you. I can't even tell you how hard it will be to hand you over to the surgeons and leave you and your life in their hands. But I will stay strong for you, just like you have taught me so well to do. I will hold back the tears and give you a smile that assures you that everything will be okay. Addie, you have taught us all so much, and I believe with everything I have in me, that you still have so much to teach us. You have overcome so much and been cheated out of so much. You deserve to be here.... I need you and there are so many others who need you to help show them what life is all about. So stay strong and fight harder than you've ever fought in your life! You can do this!!

I love you so much baby girl.... I have been so blessed to have you in my life the last 4 years and look forward to many more years with you. You have so many angels looking out for you.... both up in heaven and here on Earth. And always remember that no matter what battle you are fighting you are never, ever alone!

New....

It's a New Year....(okay well a few days into a new year)

Time for....

New Goals
New Experiences
New Obstacles to Overcome...(and some NOT so new, but we will have to get through them anyway!)
New Memories to Make
New Friendships to Grow
New Trips to Look Forward To
New Things to Organize
New Memories to Make
New Fun to be Had
New Decisions to Make and...
....Many New Stories to Share (and I'm really, really going to try to keep up on this blog more)!


I'm looking forward to many things this year has in store for us, nervous about some parts, grateful for so much, and happy to spend a great year with FABULOUS people!!!

HAPPY 2012!!

Dear Drew,

My precious boy. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. It seems like just yesterday you were my sweet little baby and today you are graduating from preschool and starting Kindergarten in the Fall. It is all so unreal to me.....

You are, by far, the best son I could ever hope to have. You are so full of energy and life. You were the perfect baby....always very content and loving. You have always been so curious and ready to try new things. You love to be outside and explore all the world has to offer. You look a lot like your daddy, but have so many of my strong personality traits. We get along so well, but are also great at pushing eachother's buttons!

You were forced to grow up WAY too fast when your sister was born. You spent far too many days inside hospital rooms, hotel rooms and several other places that were not ideal for an 18month old. BUT you managed to make "friends" with all of the doctors, nurses, social workers, etc and charm your way into their hearts. And even through all of that, you have become the BEST big brother in the world. You are always there to help your sister and you are her biggest cheerleader. Your compassion amazes me everyday and I'm so proud of the person you are. Addie is the luckiest girl in the world to have you as a big brother!





You love to cuddle. You are happy when you are "comfy and cozy" in someone's arms. You love to love.... you give the BEST hugs and kisses and make everyone around you feel special. You are so very thoughtful. You LOVE to plan birthday parties for other people and spend so much time picking out the "perfect" gift for the people you love. I am always amazed by your generosity and compassion. We often argue over who loves who more!

You are SO smart.... sometimes a little TOO smart!!! You have quite the little mouth on you, which sometimes gets you into trouble and sometimes makes us laugh so hard that you get right out of trouble. You say the most clever and amazing things. Your vocabulary consists of words that we often have no clue where they came from. You love to use big words and, more times than not, use them correctly! You are always giving us interesting facts and opinions about things. You love to read, practice your new words and do math!

You are good at just about everything you try to do. You became quite a soccer star and gymnast this year! You were skiing down the slopes, without falling, less than an hour after you put skiis on for the FIRST time! I am amazed at how quickly you pick things up and how determined you are to do so.

You are such a happy kid! It is impossible not to smile when we are around you. You are quite the charmer and know just how to get your way almost all the time. It is IMPOSSIBLE to stay mad at you! You are a little shy at times, but love to make friends with both kids and adults. You love having someone to play with and get along so well with others.

Speaking of attitude.... you also tend to be a bit (I mean A LOT) stubborn at times! You can do it all and don't need any help. We often argue over your stubborness because we are both so set in our ways. I'd say we are pretty much tied with who ends up winning the battle!!

You are my little helper. I can't cook a meal without you wanting to be right next to me, on your little stepstool, helping me out...and you are a good helper. Not that I'm complaining... I LOVE the time we spend together baking cakes and cooking dinners.

I am so proud of all you have accomplished in your short life. You are truly amazing and I LOVE YOU with all of my heart! Happy Preschool Graduation!!!!

Love, Mom

Super Soccer Star!!!!

This year Drew started playing soccer.....and better yet, Matt was the coach of the TEN 3-4 year olds!!! It was definitely one for the "experience" books! Needless to say the Tams Realty Rangers probably wont be going to the next World Cup, but they did improve so much over the season and, most importantly, had FUN! They ended up winning their last 2 games (and one other game during the season) which was a perfect way to enter the "off-season"!

Now to my little soccer star :) He scored a goal during the second game and was SO excited.... the next game he didn't score any (the team had a tendency to defend against their own team members) and was in tears the entire 2nd half! Poor baby! Fast forward a bit....to the LAST game! The entire team stepped it up and Drew scored TWO goals! He was (and still is to be honest) SO excited at his accomplishment!


Here is Drew after scoring a goal! He did a little superstar jaunt...it was hilarious!!!

Running towards the goal....giving it his ALL!

Determination!



Break-time!

All-in-all it was a fun season!

New Year....New Goals!!! And Catching Up on Christmas!!

So, it's January 10th and I already find myself WAY behind on my "resolution" to keep the blog updated regularly (I'm won't commit to daily because I'm not quite sure our life it that interesting!) But with being out of town for two weeks and developing a pretty nasty stomach flu that quickly spread throughout our house, I am a little behind with it all! But I will catch up!

We had a wonderful Christmas! Actually we had about 10 Christmases, or at least it felt that way! We traveled to Texas for Christmas to visit my aunt and uncle who were unable to make the trip to Yuma this year! An added bonus was that my sister-in-law and family live in the same town, so we had some great family together time!

So, we started on our 18 hour journey on the 22nd of December deciding to make the first day the longest and drive about 12 hours. It was a tough day, but the kids were pretty close to perfect....of course they had a wide variety of movies they were able to watch in the car :)

The second day was shorter, which worked out nicely because we were ALL a little cranky about the idea of being in the car again! Drew was anxious to get to Texas, Addie was anxious to not be stuck in a car seat, and Matt and I were anxious to stop hearing The Wonder Pets and Dora the Explorer.... Only real problem was that Drew developed a nasty cough somewhere in New Mexico and wasn't really feeling his best.

Sooooo...at long last we made it! Their house was beautifully decorated, as always and full of Christmas spirit. We relaxed, enjoyed some dinner and rested up for the busy days ahead.

Day 2 was filled with all kinds of crafts (courtesy of Aunt Terri and Uncle Denny, of course) It's a good thing Drew goes to preschool, or he wouldn't even know how to hold a paint brush! Yep, that's how crafty I am....but another thing I resolve to improve on this year :) They made ornaments with glitter and paint, cookies for Santa and an awesome gingerbread train!!! It was POURING rain outside which made it really feel like winter....for us AZ people who could never handle actual snow! :)

The Gingerbread Train....even Uncle Denny helped out only a couple of weeks after back surgery!

After crafts, we had a wonderful dinner and opened a few presents. Unfortunately, by this time it was obvious that Drew was REALLY not feeling well, so we just opened a couple and decided to save the rest for Christmas morning. Terri and Denny had just purchased a WII which Drew (and all of us for that matter) had quickly come to love! We had a great family bowling game....totally reminded me of the WII commercial where everyone spends Christmas in front of the TV playing WII and doesn't want to bake cookies or look at lights....Yep! That was us!!!

The BEAUTIFUL dinner table!

Christmas Eve....Drew not feeling too well :(

Lovin their Pillow Pets!

Playin' some WII Bowling!

Drew fell asleep very annoyed by the fact that some of us weren't catching on to the concept of the WII remote as quickly as we should have been... he kept saying "Push A" in the cutest, yet most annoyed sounding voice possible! We continued to "practice" as he slept on the couch....



...all was well until he woke up having slight convulsions...and of course had a fever! Ugh! Luckily it came down with Motrin and a bath and we all went in and got some sleep in hopes that he would feel MUCH better for Christmas morning and adding Motrin to the Zyrtec he'd been taking hoping to avoid another incident!

So, that brings us to Christmas Day! MANY more pictures and fun to come!

Christmas: Night 1

Here are some pics of our FIRST Christmas celebration at our house Sat night! My kids are not spoiled! Haha!!


A gift that Santa had left under our tree one night! He came early since we won't be home on Christmas!

The present made a good chair!

Addie loves her GiGi! :)

Addie and Melissa playing with the new Barbie car!

Drew wanted this microwave....

Addie LOVED her car!

First batch of toys! They loved everything they got and each other got!

Getting sleepy!

Want to know what was in the BIG BOX! You'll have to wait until next post!