daddy's birthday

I know, I know...today's Easter.  And daddy's birthday was at the beginning of the month.  But that's how behind I am and I am nowhere near ready to post Easter pictures from this weekend yet, so I'm playing catch up... again!!

We had a fun day celebrating daddy's big day.  Andrew loves birthdays, no matter whose it is!  So he gets especially excited.

After school daddy took Andrew to Taekwondo so Kerigan and I made daddy a special dinner (Taco pie- one of his favorites!) and a cake while they were gone.

After we ate, Ga Ga and Papa came over for cake and we opened presents.

Andrew was so excited to get daddy a Skylander, just what Craig really wanted- Ha!  (More like what Andrew really wanted!)  They play Skylanders together and so it's their "thing."

You can see how excited he was to give daddy some new pj pants!  I doubt they will take the place of his famous pizza pants, but it is worth a try!

My favorite was Craig opening the card Andrew picked out.  He picked out one with this gopher (from Caddyshack) and the card plays a song from that movie, which is one of Craig's favorite movies.  Of course Andrew had no idea, he just liked the gopher!  Ha!

This picture just makes me so happy.  Andrew absolutely ADORES his daddy.  Can't you tell?  They are best buddies.  I couldn't have picked a better daddy for my kids.  We are all so blessed!

Kerigan was scared of the card at first, but then she totally got into it and kept walking around with it saying "That's funny!  That's funny!"  Over and over!   She would take turns walking up to all of us and showing us and saying "That's funny!" 

You can tell, she wouldn't put the card down!

Daddy's cake- it's one of his favorites.  Better than....well, you know.  We just called it chocolate when Andrew asked what it was!  Ha!

Staying up late eating cake with Daddy and Papa.

Look how happy Andrew is!  He was just so excited about Daddy's birthday.  He had been talking about it for weeks!  

It was way past his bedtime, and he wasn't really asleep here, but I thought it was so sweet how he cuddled up on daddy like this.

Daddy did get some decent presents, mostly from Ga Ga and Papa!  Ha!  But I know he would say that he has everything he could ever want- the two most precious kids in the world!

Happy Birthday to the very best daddy!  We love you!

iowa energy

I just love our heart support group.  We get together once a month for fun meetings where we just can connect, talk, be real, and understand each other.  There is just something special about a group of people who understand exactly how you feel... because they have been there too.  It's just one of God's awesome plans- to connect you with others who share the same journey.

Our group also does fun activities together.  We were blessed to be asked to take part in the Iowa Energy game at Wells Fargo Arena, with the heart kids being part of the fan tunnel!  We jumped at the chance, knowing Andrew would love it.

Andrew has been kissing Kerigan's hand lately, and it is about the most precious thing I have ever seen!

Our support group is not only amazing for us parents, but I think it's pretty special for our kids, too.  They come to the meetings and get to play together, do crafts, and just have fun.  Andrew knows that they have "special hearts" too, and I think it gives them a sense of belonging- like they aren't the only ones with a scar running down their chest.  It gives them a chance to connect, too.  They are supervised by an amazing group of students who give their time because they love our kids.  

This is Andrew's best heart buddy, "little Andrew."  :)  They have known each other all their lives.  I met Andrew's mama Erin when our boys were just babies.  To see them now, grinning with their arms around each other, is just so heart-warming to me.  Their lives are such a gift- they have both been through open heart surgeries.  They have matching scars, and they are proof that miracles happen.  

Lining up for the fan tunnel!

He was so proud, waiting for the big basketball players to run by!

Happy watching the game on daddy's shoulders!

My sweet daughter... how blessed we are that she came into this world with a perfect heart, but that she can be part of this journey with us and support her brother.  She will grow up with a wiseness beyond her years.  I like to think she'll be a better person someday because of her brother's special heart.

We then got to go onto the court before the game when they introduced the players!  Andrew was amazed!

Erin bought the boys pom poms and they were a hit!

They had a blast jumping in the bouncy house

A picture of me with my girl is rare!

Oh how I love her.  Her smile and her giggle just light up my life!

Silly boys!

Surge the mascot!  Kerigan wanted no part of it!  Ha!

My precious boy... 

It was so fun to run into some of Andrew's friends from his school!  These are sweet twin boys, Isaiah (left) is in Andrew's class and is one of his best friends.  We didn't even know they were coming, we just happened to be sitting near them.  Andrew was so excited!

My loves... one broken heart, one perfect heart... 

two amazing miracles that have stolen my heart!

tea party

I am way overdue for an update.  I have no excuse except for the fact that...well, we've been busy!  And there are some exciting changes happening for our family (NO I'm not pregnant!) :) that I will blog about soon, but for today, I need to catch up.  And for the record, don't look for an update about me being pregnant, because it's not gonna happen!  Ha!

A few weekends ago Kerigan was invited to her first "friend" party!  And it was pretty much the sweetest thing ever.

Don't they look like they could be little old ladies having tea together someday?

This was the sweet birthday girl, my friend Kate's daughter, Kenna.  She's adorable!  Her and Kerigan are also in the same class at day care and are about four months apart.

This face is just too much!  She was very, very serious when we first got there.  I don't think she understood what was going on and why she was seeing friends who she normally sees at day care!  Once I convinced her I wasn't going to leave, she had fun!

Seriously?  This cracks.me.up!

I loved how the girls were laying on the floor coloring.

Why does she look about 5 years old to me in this picture??  She's growing up way too fast!

They played with Kenna's baby dolls and just had a blast!

Decorated cookies...

Mmmmm!  Kate made these awesome cinnamon rolls (made with ice cream!) and yummy kabobs with fruit and donut holes.  Everything was so precious and delicious!

The girls!  They got these sweet little hats as party favors!

This is her "not ladylike" pose!  Ha!

I love how she loved pretending to take pictures with the Minnie camera!

She's just like her mama!  Ha!

Say cheese!!

Kate, you threw an amazing party!  What a special day for Kenna and her friends to be able to celebrate together!  These pictures will be treasured always!  And happy birthday to the very sweet birthday girl!