The Big Brother Hero Day

I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to get this posted! Getting five kids ready for school is proving to take up way more time than I expected! I know that many of you are wondering if Jamahl got to go on his hero day yacht trip. Yes indeed, two weeks ago, on the one sunny weekend we had in August, Jamahl and Paul got to spend the day with the George family on their boat. Saturday morning came and Jamahl was so excited, I think he wondered if the afternoon would ever come. Finally we got the word that the boat was in Holland. We packed everyone into the car and drove down to the Marina. All of the girls, myself, and Grammy and Poppy went to wish them a great journey. It was so fun to watch Jamahl taking it all in. When he boarded the boat, they had some more pirate stuff waiting for him and a disposable camera with his name on it. The look on his face was priceless. I still don't think he realized this was all because he is such a great bog brother. It was great to meet some more of the George family...the boys were almost the same ages as Jamahl. The boat was beautiful, the weather was great, and everyone was looking forward to spending some father-son time together. It didn't take long for the girls and I to get "kicked" off of the boat since it was a boys only day! (That made it so fun for Jamahl!) We waved goodbye and both Jamahl and Paul were grinning from ear to ear.
From what the guys reported back to me, they took the boat up to Grand Haven to get some lunch and ice cream. Then they went out to the big lake and did some swimming and each of the boys took turns being "The Captain" and driving before returning to Holland that evening. This was a little strange for me because I had to experience the whole thing thru the pictures but it sure looks like they all had a wonderful time. I know that Jamahl will never forget the day and the memories that he made will help carry him thru some of the rough times that our family lives through. A huge thanks to the "Team Craig" family! Words will never express our gratitude at how you lifted the spirit of a wonderful little boy and his Daddy. It was not just for that afternoon, it will last for a lifetime!

Big Brother Hero Day

So, do you remember the Make-A-Wish bicycle tour and how Keyan had a group of people that rode the 300 miles in her name? The team that rode for her was named "Team Craig". Well, after the Hero's Hurrah, the leader of the team and I have kept in contact over email. She rides in honor of her son who also went to Disney with MAW 20 years ago. She has walked my path and we had an instant bond. Anyhow, her family has decided to honor Jamahl in a special "Big Brother Hero Day". We have been working out the details with her but Jamahl hasn't known anything about it. I told him yesterday that a package would be arriving for him today and so his curiosity was very piqued.

We arrived home from a very busy day and he saw a large package at the door and said disappointedly, "My package must not have come, I only see a box of Keyan's medical supplies." However, when I had him look at the address he was shocked to see it was for him! I will let the pictures tell the rest but it was so amazing to see his face as he was realizing this was all special things to celebrate a special day for HIM. He even told my dad, "this is all for me, from the team that rode at the MAW thing...I know poppy, you think that you heard me wrong, but it is really for me, not Keyan!" He will be "Captain of the Ship" for the day on this family's yacht. It will be an all boys day just for him. He is so thrilled and can't wait for this weekend.

I can't even begin to express our gratitude to Team Craig for thinking of Jamahl and realizing the important role that he plays in our family. Only someone who has lived it can understand the stress he takes upon himself when Keyan is sick, or when Mommy is gone with Keyan to the hospital. It takes special people to see how his life is often put aside in order to meet the demands of Keyan and yet, he so graciously stands beside her loving more that anyone in this world. If only we all had a Jamahl to look after us! View the pictures and let yourself get caught up in his excitement. Don't forget to click on the slide show to read the captions!

Mommy had fun on the water slide!

Oh my goodness! We spent all day Saturday, Saturday night, and all day Sunday at the Double JJ Ranch this weekend. My brother, his wife, their new baby, my Mom and Dad, and all seven of us all stayed in this huge 4 bedroom suite and we had a blast! The ranch recently reopened after being closed down for over a year so we shared the place with 50 other people at the most! It was so much fun. I promise to post all of the pictures later, but I had to get this video up. This is Roo and I going down the outdoor water slide together. I decided to help us out at the bottom by slowing us down......watch and see what happens!

As you can tell, we had such a great time. I haven't laughed this hard in forever. It was good for my soul! I am sure that this is a video we will laugh at for a long time to come!

Wish-A-Mile bike tour

Don't forget to click on the slide show so that you can see it better!!



This past weekend, the Make-A-Wish foundation had an incredible fundraiser. Almost 900 bicyclists rode 300 miles over three days in order to raise enough money to grant 250 wishes in the state of Michigan. I don;t know about you, but I can't even imagine 20 miles on my bike yet alone 300! This fundraiser is the largest MAW fundraiser in the NATION! How cool is that...right here in Michigan.
Keyan was invited to be a "wish hero" which means that two teams rode in her name. They use her and her story for inspiration while training and fundraising. So, we all packed up early Sunday morning and drove to the Chelsea Fairgrounds in order to meet these amazing people at the finish line. The event on Sunday is called the "Hero's Hurrah" and of course it was amazing. There was so much for the kids to do. We took part in balloon animals, face painting, clowns, crafts, amazing food, CANDY, cheering on the riders, dancing with radio Disney, big bouncy playhouses, games, prizes, some shopping for the moms :), and a lot more that I can't remember. Beyond all of that though was meeting the other families. For us this was one of the most special parts of the day.
As our girls were playing the candy walk gaming, winning way more candy than they would ever eat, I joined in to help another little girls walk in the right direction. When I looked down at her smiling face, I could not believe my eyes...she had a trach! It is so rare for us to see another child with a trach that it always catches me by surprise. I immediately sought out her mom and began to strike up conversation. We had an instant connection because we are both walking down the same path. Emma was her name and she is a twin. She is one month younger than our girls, she had the same exact little legs and arms that Keyan has, she even has the same scars on her back and tummy from similar surgeries! It was incredible! We started talking more with her parents to find out that she has yet to go on her wish trip to Disney but that her wish is to swim with Ariel...isn't that ironic, Keyan wished to sing with Ariel! We very quickly exchanged stories, all talking at the same time, when all of a sudden, Emma's Mom asked me what we are doing about school. Within moments, we were both crying and sharing the grief over the fact that there just isn't a good option for our girls. I am crying right now typing this because as Keyan's Mom, I feel so alone sometimes in our journey. I feel so overwhelmed by the always having to take the rode less traveled. I stood looking in the mothers eyes, and I knew her heart and better yet, I know that she knew mine. The struggles, the joys, the disappointments, and the courage. To me, this is what Make-A-Wish is all about. I have said it before, but I must say it again...they give us the opportunity to feel normal for just a moment in time and that changes me for the better.
The other highlight of the day was meeting our two teams of riders. What an amazing gift they give to all of us. They ride 300 miles over the course of three days and they meet us with huge smiles! One of Keyan's teams was made up partially of a family who 20 years ago had been to Disney with MAW and one of there children. We too had an instant connection of the heart for having walked the same paths. The one guy, talked right to Jamahl about being the sibling and going on that trip. That made Jamahl feel so special. What an honor if was to meet these 6 people, who because of their endurance and perseverance, 250 more families will be touched and blessed by Make-A-Wish. I will never be able to thank them enough. Wow...other life changing event! I guess God knows right when I need the pick-me-up because it is always perfect timing!

Renewing our vows

10 years ago last week, Paul and I became husband and wife. On that incredible evening, as we were overlooking Muskegon lake, we vowed to recommit ourselves to each other every five years. So far we have kept ALL of the vows, including that one! We had a small ceremony in our front yard with about 50 people in attendance. The kids of course played an intricate role in the whole thing and my Dad oversaw the ceremony and pronounced us husband and wife again. It was an amazing day. I won't speak for Paul, but for me I believe this time around was more meaningful that when we originally were married. Ten years ago we were young, naive, and thought we had life all figured out. We had a plan about working, how many kids we would have, what kind of house we would build, and all of this was on a pretty stringent time line. HA!!!! Has God ever taught us a thing or two! I felt is was so amazing to now say, after going through so much, that we would knowingly do it all over again and choose each other. That was a very powerful message to my heart. We had a wonderful time surrounded by family and friends and are looking forward to what the next five years may bring! We couldn't break tradition ...we were all dressed in red, white and blue.

The kids all held a different type of flower, and we joined them all together to make a beautiful bouquet, symbolizing that all of us are beautiful as individuals but that together we make up quite a fantastic family.

Sharing the vows that we wrote for each other

"You may now kiss your bride!" Do those words ever get old?

Jamahl's diving debut

Check this out!!!!! I signed Jamahl up for a 4 day diving clinic. In my mind, he was going to learn how to dive from the side of the pool and by the end of the clinic maybe dive off of the diving board. Boy was I wrong!!! He is learning how to technical dive...ya know, like the olympics! For a child that has absolutly ZERO thrill seeking cells in his body, I was not sure how he would do but he LOVES it! He listnes to the instructions, concentrates very hard, and than tries to get his body to do what his brain wants it to. It is amazing. He has learned a back dive, a half front tuck, a back half twist, just to name a few. We are all so proud of him. He goes for three days this week too so Lord only knows what he will be doing when the week is done. This is his fourth time on the high dive and if you listen, you can hear the instructor ask him if he is going to jump or try to dive....I could not believe my ears!

Why we have a dog

So many people have asked us why in the world we would add a dog to our crazy household. There are people who thought that we were downright crazy getting a dog. This picture sums it all up. Our kids LOVE Maddie, sometimes to the point where they would love the fur right off of her! To many we may seem insane, and in fact we probably are, but moments like this are priceless!