It is school time again!

I can't believe that the summer has come to an end. We had a great one even though it was not as warm as we would have liked it. We spent a lot of time at parks, at the pool, having pajama days, going to the library, playing Star Wars, and just being together. I am NOT ready to do the whole school thing but I guess ready or not, here it is! Jamahl is in 2nd grade Spanish Immersion and the girls are doing young fives which is a half day, every day. Keyan has a nurse that we are working on training so I got to stay at school with the girls today, which meant fewer tears for me....wait until I actually have to leave!

Jamahl got up without to much trouble which came as quite a surprise. When I asked him if he was actually excited about going to school he said, "No, but I thought about it this morning and even though I really don't want to go to school, I know that you will probably eat out for lunch and I REALLY don't like to do that, so...I might as well go to school!" Now that is a real hatred or eating out!! By 4:15 this afternoon I had everyone home. Jamahl was working on homework, the girls were fighting like crazy because they were so tired, and I was hard at work filling out the 25 forms that came home with them all! It was a great day.

Jamahl has every "Star Wars" shirt that we could find...anything to get him to school happy!

I took this picture because Jamahl has officially surpassed me in shoes size....and he is only 7!!!!The traditional picture beside the dinosaur I think he looks so grown up in this picture. Will I ever get used to them having to go back to school? It is finally time for the girls to get going. We had four very excited little girls and a couple who said they were a little nervous. This is the first time that I have realized their strength in numbers. I was MUCH less anxious to have them starting because I know they have each other. Wouldn't be nice to go thru life with a constant buddy?What other parent goes to school the first day with a basket full of medical supplies and an oxygen tank? We thought is was pretty funny!Keyan was ready to take on school and was so excited that "the guys" were going too this time.McKenzy was very excited about her new backpack and playing on the playground.Sidney was one who was a little nervous but she did great. They went to art class which she of course loved so she thought maybe school was not going to be too bad.And than there's Abby...ready to conquer the world, meet new friends, learn to read, play dress-up, and let the world know that Abagayle is a forced to be reckoned with!!! The school nurse came in to the classroom to talk to the kids about all of Keyans "cool, special things....that we don't touch!" She did a fantastic job and Keyan was so proud to show off her uniqueness....we must be doing something right!

More pictures

This is a slide show put together from Gretchen's pictures from the weekend. It includes the Slip and Slide pictures!!! Enjoy....if you evere need something to do over Labor Day Weekend, I highly recommend Camp Geneva Family Camp!

Family Camp

We spent Friday evening through Monday afternoon at Camp Geneva for Family Camp. Due to our situation with Keyan, we did not sleep there, but we were at camp for breakfast and we stayed until the camp fire. We had such a great time. Our friends Gretchen and Luke and their three kids came up from Indiana and went to camp with us and that made it even better. All of our kids had lots of time to play together, and the adults even had some snippets of time to catch up and "solve the worlds problems!". It was a fantastic time to spend together and a great way to end our summer. This time, I am not going to blog a whole lot because I am extremely exhausted from swimming, archery, crafts, large group sessions, slip and slides, playgrounds, and lots of other activities. However, to get the full story, click on the slideshow so that you can read the captions. Hopefully, you had a great holiday weekend. I will have to get pictures from Gretchen to prove that we Moms conquered the slip and slide!!! Stay tuned for that and our back to school post!

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!