Make My Monday

One year ago my friend Brook and her husband Jake lost their infant daughter, Carynne to SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy). A day later, they lost her identical twin sister, Sydney to the same disease. THis was just a short month after getting the diagnosis in the first place. As a parent, I can't imagine the heartbreak they felt, watching their daughters struggle with this disease. Brook and Jake have been active in trying to raise awareness and funds for research in finding a cure for this horrible disease. SMA is the #1 genetic killer of young children. Right now there is not a cure. However, doctors believe that if funding is received a cure or at least a viable treatment is possible within five years. No parent should ever have to watch their child suffer and die. Let alone a second child.

Want to "Make My Monday"?

There is a way you can make a difference. A way you can help honor the memory of Sydney and Carynne. Please sign the Petition to Cure SMA. It will only take 30 seconds. You won't be inundated with spam mail. Every signature counts. I have blogged about this petition in the past. If you have thought about signing it, but haven't had the time, or planned to do it later, please sign it now. And remember those two beautiful girls who left this world all too soon.


Play along with Makes My Monday with Cheryl

You know you have a toddler..

...when there is a huge puddle in front of the fridge with no reason for it to be there, no melted ice, no spilled cups...just 2 girls who have discovered they are tall enough for a lot of new things.

Notice how Abby takes her big sister role quite seriously here.

The solution?
Thank God for a little button called "lock"

Otherwise know as "the fun spoiler"

Heh heh heh

Way Back When-esday

Timeline: August 2009
Ages: 1 year 2 months
7 years old


I am using the Way Backness of this When-esday to post some of my favorite pictures from last summer. The summer heat and laziness robbed me of creativity. And so many things went unposted!

Like this...

This has to be one of my very favorite pictures of the girls. They were just beginning to interact and I love the way that Olivia is checking on Abby to make sure she is as delighted by the water as she was.

She wasn't

Olivia wasted no time and got right into the fountains

Zachary loved being in the "water jail"

The fountains would go off and on randomly
resulting in this...
Which Olivia didn't mind
but Abby did

So while Olivia stayed and enjoyed the water

Abby had her first pizza
while sitting with Daddy!

Olivia had her first pizza too.
She just wanted to take it back in the water with her

Play along with Cheryl!

Blizzard of 2010

I may or may not have turned this whole house upside down looking for my camera cord. I may have found it. Or I may have gone and bought something else I could download through with my memory card. Whatever!

So if you don't know, the DFW area got over 12 inches of snow this past week. We set all kinds of records with this amount of snowfall!

We actually got about 11 inches here at our house.
That's a ruler right there, by the way.

It has been gorgeous! A true Winter Wonderland.

We, of course, could not wait to get out in it. So we bundled up and out we went. Neither girls liked walking in the snow, but Abby??

This is exactly how she felt about it

She sat like this 95% of the time we were outside.
She was content to nibble off her snowball.

Olivia was better about walking around
She found herself a snowball to eat, too.
Zachary worked on making the "perfect" snowball

Zachary making a snowman
Our snowman!

A mini sled run

I love this picture of Olivia

Some of the neighborhood kids got together
and made a Texas size snowman in our park.
Gary and I took turns taking Zachary sledding
This also shows a great view of the Frisbee golf course.
Please ignore the dog.
Poor thing, we were right behind his house
and he was trying so hard to protect his family and run us all off.
He barked the entire time we were there. The.whole.time.


Abby was more than ready to head inside
which was quite different from the last time it snowed.

Playing in the snow makes for tired, tired zombies
who watch Little Bear for a solid 30 minutes without moving.

I actually got to enjoy a whole cup of coffee with no interruptions.

And that, my friends...

Makes my Monday!!


Play along with Cheryl

iPhone

So Gary finally convinced me that I needed an iPhone. Olivia killed my little phone, my cute wonderful little phone that I loved more than I think I should have.

So little...so tiny...so cute! I called it my cigarette lighter phone. It had this cool little trill when I opened it. ::sniff sniff:: Ok moving on...barely...


So I needed another phone and it was just logical to get an iPhone. With all the apps that are available, Gary and I can communicate grocery lists, shopping lists, calendars, pictures, and a ton of other things I am not thinking of right now.

The thing is...I'm a PC.



Gary is a Mac...a die hard fan, all the way, would have married any product of Apple if he could, the world should only be run by Apple kinda guy. But really, is there any other type of Mac?

And can I just bird walk here a little bit? Here is where the differences between Macs and PCs really are. PCs, we can accept the fact that everyone is different, that some people want a Mac and some people prefer a PC, and that's ok. Macs refuse to budge from their Macs-are-better seat. It is almost...weird. Almost. Gary and his best friend are both Macs. I tried to discuss this with them one time. I asked them why couldn't they just say that both have things that are good and people can choose what they want. Scott replied that if that was true then they would say it. ::groan:: I give up!

But I have to hand it to Apple's ad campaigns. They are freakin' hilarious!!


OK, back on track here...Umm...where was I?

OH! I was going to ask what apps are the best. If you have an iPhone what apps are must have?

Nothin'

My camera cord is missing. I have a ton of pictures just waiting to be loaded from the camera. Hopefully I will find it soon and be back to posting.

Domestic Divas

Abby used to be terrified of the vacuum. She would run away, but then cry and come back in the room. It was like she had to keep tabs on where that monster was!

But this past week, she wanted to be like Daddy.

That's what I am talkin' 'bout!!

Soon cleaning was abandoned
(along with their pants)

I love that they love to read!

Abby may be into her vacuum
but Olivia is into the BLING!

We are still battling the flu here. How long is it supposed to last again??

If I could find my camera cord, I could show you a picture of them lounging with blankets and being pitiful. Oh my the snot, the whinyness (Is that a word?? Spell check doesn't think so. If it's not, it needs to be!)