Tuesday, September 23, 2014

My mom came for a visit...

and we had a great time.
Nana came out for grandparents day at school 
and for the first time in about eight years, 
we got to have a little alone time with the kiddos in school.
 We went for a walk on the Sparta trail through the tunnel. 
 I really love this place and would walk it everyday if I could.
 We really got a chance to talk and laugh.
Here she is...she made it.
The kiddos were so bummed they couldn't come with us
 so we decided to surprise them by going to the apple orchard.
 We went to Maple Ridge Apple Orchard and loaded up on three different kinds of apples.
 The kids love picking, eating, and baking apples!
 We squeezed in a ton of fun in short period of time.
 And couldn't wait to get home to tell dad all about it.
 Here's my mom with her grand babies.
 Evie is such a goofball:)
 She wanted the one on the top of the tree so
mama gave her a lift.
We had a great time and 
I'm so blessed to have my mom in my life. 
Thanks mom for coming out and thanks dad for sparing her for a couple of days.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Our Ironman...

is my brother-in-law!
My brother-in-law, Brian Flanagan,
did an Ironman.
If you have never witnessed one,
it is an experience just to be a fan!
He trained hard and had a supportive wife to 
keep him motivated.
We got to Madison a day before and
got a chance to see the nieces. 
 Cousin time!
 Our god-daughter loves her Zach!
 The kiddos giggled and ran around.
 Mattie taught Evie a new way to tie her shoes.
We played red light/ green light.

Rolled down the hills and had all together had a great time!
 Team IronFlan!
The Flanagan family.

 The amazing couple who is an example of support and encouragement.
 The race day and everyone ready to cheer.
There he is...getting ready!
 I have to honest...I cried pretty much the whole day.
There were so many parts of the race that were inspiring.
This picture is of an 'angel' who swam with a harness on pulling a handicapped 
woman named Katie through the water, pulled her in a buggy behind him on the bike,
and pushed her in a buggy to the finish line!
 Here they come,
 there were arms and legs a flyin'!
 My sister, Megan :)
 Naturally there kids were eating cookies before 9am.
 The dad's holding up the IronFlan sign.
 Nora and I riding the bus to the bike portion.
Everyone getting comfy for the bike part.
 The kids did great and had fun running around.
 Here's Brian with his tongue out:)
Wisconsin is a lot more hilly than Florida!
 When asked where's dad?
Nora pointed to the bike part of the shirt.
 Here he comes...
The energy picked up when the run began because of the city.
Some of the grandparents took the girls back to the house for naps. 
Our kiddos stuck it out...we wanted to see him finish!
 Here's Brian's sister, Kelly, who is a sweetheart!
 Evie and her godmother:)
 One of the participants was a police officer who was doing the ironman for his partner
who was killed in the line of duty...yep, more tears.
 This was mile 9 of the run. 
At this point, Brian had already swam 2.4 miles,
biked 112 miles and was now running a marathon(26.2 mile).
Evie showing how strong Uncle Brian is:)
Evie was a little beat, but the kids stuck it out.  
And here he is!
Our Ironman....We love you Brian!


Wednesday, September 10, 2014

One Year Ago Today....

Our world as we knew it changed.
We found out about Evelyn's heart condition
that needed immediate surgery. 
My world turned upside down.
 I tried to learn how to be a nurse and a mother
and keep up with everything that I used to do, but 
 soon discovered that was an impossible feat.  
Everyone kept saying, give it time and you will get used to your new normal.
 It's been a year since finding out the news and time has helped.
It has gotten easier. I've grown up a lot and realized
what I put value on before, may not have been prioritized the best.
I've grown in my faith, in my relationship with others, 
and in my gratitude for what I have been given from God. 
We are truly blessed to have our little Evie still here with us.  
She is a blessing that I am thankful for every single day.
If you haven't told your loved ones you love them today,
don't wait!  Be thankful for today!


Friday, September 5, 2014

Wrapping up summer...

with the kiddos emptying the pool...
 and having a bit of fun in the process.
 Me: "You guys we are going to eat soon."
 Kids: "Should we eat outside?"
 Me: "Did you guys get wet?"
 Kids: "Just a little:)"
 We celebrated the baptism of Allison.
 We were so honored to be asked to Godparents. 
 She is so angelic and perfect!
It reminded me of all my kiddos baptisms.
It wasn't so long ago...
or was it?
Oscar, Joey, and Evie ready to go to school.
This is the first day of school photo.
They are all so adorable.  
I am blessed!