Hand Me Downs

I took this picture last night. The girls are in desperate need of new PJ's so I was about to head to the store (as shopping for the girls is one of my most favorite things in the world to do) but then thought for a moment about the economy and the fact that I am living in MI, not to mention Detroit, MI so I decided to raid James' old clothes. The girls absolutly LOVE their "new" racing PJ's! And they look pretty cute too - if I do say so myself!

Tiny Toes!

Today was Gracie's first day Tiny Toes dance. She had such a great time! So proud of our little entertainer.

Wiffle Ball Tournament

Today was the annual wiffle ball tournament that Scotts friends from college put on every year. This year they decided to make it into a fundraiser for Rett Syndrome research! What an amazing bunch of guys!! Thank you to all who came out today, played, watched and/or contributed - we are so greatfull for all the awareness and funds raised!


Annie's A-Team!

James finding some shade - wooo, it was a HOT one!

The team in action

Annie's LOVING it!

Catchin' a bite

Defying the Odds

Our family was blessed to be able to take a couple days to get away, relax and have some fun this week. We didn't go far, just a few hours away to an indoor waterpark resort called Kalahari. We had a blast! There was so much to do, waterslides, pools, water play grounds, arcade, miniture golf... you get the idea! Unfortunatly I didn't get too many pictures of the water stuff because Scott and James were off trying out all the water slides and I had my hands full with my girls, but trust me, tons of smiles, squeals and giggles! Annie did great with her temperature too, the water was warm and so was the air so we didn't have any hypothermic issues or purple feet!

After spending a couple days at the water park we headed to a drive through safari where you could actually feed the animals from your car window. Well, lets just say this was CRAZY! The FUN kind of crazy though! The kids had a great time here as well. After the safari we were able to get out of the car, see some animals (in cages) and the kids could do pony and camel rides. James and Grace hopped right on the pony and each took a ride. Then we went to the camel, Gracie was a bit too small for this ride but of course James hopped right on and took 2 turns (using his ticket and then Gracies). Next up was Annie! Yup, that's right, Annie rode a camel!! She loved every minute of it!

As we were driving home I reflected a bit (both girls fell asleep and James was watching a movie so it was quiet if just for a moment). I thought about all the things that we were told about Annie and her diagnosis. All the things that we were told she would never do, and I realized that they were dead wrong! We had taken a family vacation durring which Annie was able to swim, play putt-putt, feed safari animals and ride a camel! Of course these things are a bit harder for her to do and they may need to be modified a bit, but that makes it all the more special. My heart just bursts with pride when I think of all the accomplishments Annie's making despite rett syndrome! We've been told Annie would never walk or talk which at times is discouraging but mostly it just makes us work harder to defy the odds. We've been blessed with the strongest, most determined little angel!

Here's some more pics of our trip.

Gracie doing the limbo!

Annie playing putt-putt

Gracie on the pony.

Our little entertainer!

Annie checking out the lama

James and Annie

Girl Power to Cure!

Girl Power 2 Cure, Inc is a501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for research for treatments and a cure for Rett Syndrome. Ingrid Harding is the founder who along with Kelly Butler (Program director) work tirelessly to raise awareness and funds for rett syndrome research. Both are mothers to beautiful angels.

MindComet has launched CommuniCause, allowing America to select an organization to receive their pro bono social media services. America can vote for their favorite charity that they’d like to see win the grand prize of a Social Media Makeover valued at $25,000.A winner will be randomly selected from the top ten charities that receive the most votes and upon awarding the winner, MindComet will provide the winner with expert consulting services to help improve their social media presence and fundraising outreach. Girl Power 2 Cure has been entered in this AMAZING contest!
WE CAN WIN THIS!
HERE IS THE LINK!
VOTE NOW! THEN PASS IT ON!
http://communicause.com/my-cause/2746/

Bouncin' Around!

Tuesday was Annie's last day of school so we celebrated for the rest of the week (the day's that were sunny atleast) by getting out the bounce house for the kids! They absolutly LOVE IT! This was one of the best investments we've ever made. It's always hit at parties and sets up so quickly we can pull it out whenever the weather is nice. An added bonus is that it wears the kids out so they sleep good at night and it's a fabulous therapy tool for Annie!!! She can just sit and try to catch her balance while the kids bounce (safely) around her, or Scott or I will get in there with her and help her to bounce! She just loves it! Here's some pics of the kids in action -
Annie balancing on all 4's
Falling is part of the fun!
Gracie bouncer
Jamesy bouncer
My cuties!

Walk Update!

I wanted to update everyone about the walk that we participated in on May 17. The walk brought in over $31,000!!! Not bad for the FIRST annual event!! Annie's A-Team was 32 walkers strong! What an amazing turnout. Thank you to everyone who walked, strolled or donated, you have brought us $31,000 closer to a cure!! Please check out this video that was made in memory of Rachel Kopelman and in honor of her family and the beautiful job they did putting this successful event together. It's a bit lengthy but there are tons of pictures of our local angels, Annie's in there too!

Success Story

I am happy to report that Annie is feeling much better these days. We had a sinus infection/virus/allergy combination that came and hit for almost 2 weeks. Thankfully we have our happy Annie back. That's not the only good news though, we also have Annie's success story up on the Tobii website! Check it out here! Make sure to read the other stories as well and check out some of the videos. The eye gaze technology is amazing and is giving so much hope, purpose and joy to those who would otherwise not have a voice! Thank you MyTobii!