13 months old… Time is flying by! What another blessed month!

April was a fun, encouraging and exciting month for Aspen and our family.

We're so grateful that Aspen was healthy on his first birthday. I made him a "one year" video to recap some of the moments of his first year. :)  You can watch it at the following link: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfjlAfFjI_w

Aspen wearing his "You are my Sunshine" shirt!  He loves to be outside

Spending some quality time with Pops! :) 

I love, love this picture. Look at that sweet face! 

Aspen is growing so fast it's hard to believe!  He is walking all over the house but often prefers to crawl. He is the fastest thing! He loves to run holding on slightly to one finger and he sure doesn't mind falling. He said Uncle Chri (yes, Chri) really clear and was proud of himself. This didn't go over so well with Aunt Nelly. LOL We all believe he is just messing with Nelly by not saying her name! ha! 

He's curious, is constantly moving, makes the cutest "scared" face and his new thing this month is a "fish" face. He claps and waves his hands in the air to say YAY!!!! He loves just about all foods but some of his favorites are avocado, strawberries, kiwi and banana's. He can down a banana in about a minute flat. We're so thankful that he has an awesome appetite because people with CF are supposed to eat 1 1/2 times the normal amount of food per day. He doesn't seem to like peaches very much or macaroni and cheese but he sure loves his peach PUFFS. If you let him, he might eat the entire container in one sitting. :) He loves dogs and being outside. He loves to be scared. You should see his Daddy playing with him. SO sweet. He loves his Mama and is having a little bit of separation anxiety but does well for the most part. He's SO easy going. He's a JOY and is loved by so many! 

More fun we had…...

Lindsey and I went to the Dogwood Festival. He loved it! :)  We see an annual tradition starting!

Strawberry Cheesecake…. his first ice cream! :) 

It was a long winter. We were so thankful to see warmer temperatures that came in April. 

Aspen went to his first Braves game….. A Gwinnett Braves game but his first game, nonetheless. 

Cutest face! 

This is the first time Aspen wore a ball cap for any amount of time. GO, Aspen! 

One of my favorite pictures. Loving on Pops! 

Aspen took a nap at Dee Dee's! He took a nap at Dee Dee's! This is HUGE news! ha!  This was his first official nap during the day. He usually refuses to sleep when he's with me. So sweet! :)

Chick-Fil-A Night….. We had such an awesome time! We raised $214 and worked the crowd so hard! 

How can you resist this face? 

Eating a kid's meal at Chick-Fil-A night...

He was OVER the night but we sure did appreciate everyone that came out to support us! 

Just one of the many blessings this month! 

Happy Easter! We had such a blessed, blessed day! :) 

Aspen dyed Easter eggs for the first time…. He was confused but we sure did have fun! 

 Aspen's first Easter egg hunt! So precious! 

 Love our family! 

Look at those shoes!!!! Precious! 

We're so grateful for the love and support we have received in our annual fundraising efforts for a CURE for Cystic Fibrosis. Just knowing that people care has encouraged us a LOT! It's not the size of the gift…it's the heart that goes into showing us that you care. Thank you for helping us make a difference in Aspen's tomorrows. We BELIEVE a cure is coming. Thank you for joining us in prayer on that.

Aspen loves dogs! He's so cute to watch. He's not scared at all. We can't wait to get a dog this month so that Aspen can play with her. 

Such the ham-bone! He loves to relax and put his feet on the table. He loves Mrs. Sandie. :)

Our COOL Dude! He makes our hearts melt! 

The things we do to entertain him! He is such a good boy and is fearless. 

He loves to play! 

We took him out to eat with some of our friends and he was SO good. We love his sweet personality! 

Sweet boy loves strawberries! 

 As much fun as we have… We never want to lose focus on the fact that he has Cystic Fibrosis and has two of the most severe mutations. Cystic Fibrosis is a progressive disease. We are all working hard to ensure that Aspen stays as healthy as possible for as long as possible. That includes over 20 pills per day, several medicines, vest therapy (above) 40 minutes a day to shake up the mucus that gets clogged in his chest, a 15 minute breathing treatment and inhalers up to every 4 hours when he wheezes.

Cystic fibrosis has no cure. However, treatments have greatly improved in recent years. Treatment may include nutritional and respiratory therapies, medicines, exercise and more. Early treatment for cystic fibrosis can improve both quality of life and lifespan. We are so grateful that he was diagnosed 9 days after he was born so that we could begin treatment. 

We will walk on May 17th on the Georgia Tech campus to raise awareness for Cystic Fibrosis. It's not too late to sign up! Contact me, Lindsey or Danielle for more information. We would LOVE for you or your family to join us. 

Aspen gets a VIP t-shirt from the foundation this year. "Walk today. Add tomorrows." 

Our good friend, Robert Bazemore designed these leaves for the LOGO for our T-shirt. We BELIEVE in miracles. We BELIEVE in a CURE. Give today. Walk today. Encourage today. We are so grateful for all that have listened to us, watched our videos, your financial support and your many prayers. 

So many blessings this month…. A $100 donation from someone we have never met. A $200 donation from someone we have never met. A $200 donation from a family member that we don't see often but that cares enough to help. A $125 donation from a high school friend. A $100 donation from a couple that we only recently met. A $10 donation from a college student that I know is struggling but that cared enough to show their support. A $10 donation from a friend that is just recently employed again and really didn't have the money but sacrificially gave. ELEVEN donations from co-workers from FIFTEEN years ago. Someone not accepting my payment but telling me to donate it to Aspen. A young married class that has many people giving selflessly. Many people giving up their Saturday to come and walk with our family. Raising $365 from a Tupperware party. Selling over FIFTY t-shirts to raise awareness. A $200 donation from someone at church… someone we don't see that often but that cared enough to support us this way.  Many people asking about Aspen and praying for him on a regular basis.  Reading this blog. Watching our video's. CARING! These are just some of the ways that you bless us and encourage us. 

It's donations like yours….that will help find a cure for many that are suffering. All research is funded through public giving and .90 of every dollar goes directly to research. We can't wait to find out our total amount given in Aspen's name. 

We are here to encourage one another. I've always viewed myself as an encouraging person (my hope) but it was only after Aspen was born that I truly begin to realize the importance of encouragement and caring and small acts that mean so much. 

Thank you to everyone that has been a part of encouraging our family. We love you and pray that God blesses you in a powerful way! 

Aspen will go back to the CF clinic this month for his check-up. We are excited to see what the doctor's have to say about his progress.  

14 months will be here before we know it….. WOW! 

Happy ONE year, Aspen!

What an awesome month March was! So many firsts and so many praises!

The month started out with something that was very special to me! My family surprised me with a 50th birthday party with almost 100 of my friends and family. I sure am blessed with so many people in my life. Aren't my girls beautiful and isn't Aspen the cutest? This picture is at my party on March 7th.

March 7th, 2014 was special in more than one way! I'm so glad that these "events" took place on the same day. I'll always remember. March 7th is now officially "Cystic Fibrosis Awareness" day in Georgia. How cool is that??? 

The Georgia State Senate officially passed a resolution designating March 7 as Cystic Fibrosis Education and Awareness Day. This resolution will help raise awareness among the public and build support for our mission to find a CURE and to improve the quality of life for people living with CF.  

http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20132014/SR/1035 

Not only was this day passed on March 7th, the day of my party, but my sweet husband suggested that in lieu of gifts, a donation to the foundation would be appreciated. We raised over $1,000 that day. WOOOO HOOOOO! 

* I had a Tupperware party and in lieu of free Tupperware, I was able to raise almost $400 for the foundation. Thank you SO much to everyone that ordered and made that a huge success. 

* We started the campaign to get our friends and family to join our TEAM for the annual CF walk. We have raised around $800 and have almost 30 people registered to walk on that day. 

We still have a ways to go to get to our $3,000 fundraising goal but I know we will make it! :) 

Chick-fil-A in Loganville have graciously allowed us to have a fundraising night on Wednesday, April 16th. We're super excited to see how much money we can raise that night. Please come out and show your support. 15% of the proceeds from 5pm-8pm will be donated to the foundation. YAY! 

My "real" birthday was the next week and I received ANOTHER awesome gift. Aspen walked for the first time on my birthday night. It was SO precious and meant so much. It was like he was waiting to walk as a gift to me. :)

We celebrated the entire weekend by having a picnic, going to eat Thai and riding the huge ferris wheel at Centennial Park in Atlanta. I am blessed! 

After my birthday I had the opportunity to go to Ponte Vedra Beach, FLA. It was a great "get away" work trip and the sunshine was OUT! One thing I LOVE, LOVE is sunrises and sunsets. Sunrises remind me of miracles and the opportunity for another chance for another day… Just as we see God's grace and miracles every day if we look for them.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul,

‘therefore I will hope in him.’ 

 ~ Lamentations 3:22-24

The Lord has been so faithful to us this year as we have trusted in Him and Him alone. I've learned that no one but God knows the future. The doctors can predict, they can tell you what to expect and give you their best "guess" but that's all it is… a GUESS. Thankfully Aspen has done so much better than the doctors predicted. We don't know what tomorrow holds but we know who holds the future and our HOPE is in Him. 

We are still believing, hoping and praying for a CURE! We would love for you to join us in prayer. Aspen looks healthy and IS healthy right now….but we also know the "facts" about CF and we know that statistically, he will begin to have problems that are progressive as he grows. 

Please consider giving to this great cause! Be a part of a tomorrow that will make a difference in Aspen's life and others with CF.  

http://fightcf.cff.org/site/TR/GreatStrides/40_Georgia_Atlanta?pg=team&fr_id=2047&team_id=16798

In other news…. 

We went to a consignment sale at our church and Aspen got a new wagon. He loves it and on the spur of the moment, I was able to capture some of my favorite pictures of him. 

He now does his "scary face" on command! Hysterical! 

The day before his birthday, he was getting excited! :) We shopped and had an awesome time with his Mama!

HAPPY, HAPPY Birthday, Aspen!   You  are  ONE!!!

How precious is this face? Good morning, birthday boy!!! 

Aspen got his very first haircut the morning of his birthday! He had a mini mullet going on! :)

He looks like such a BIG boy now! 

Walking to Aunt Nelly!

Dee Dee loves YOU! 

Looking more and more like his Mama! 

Aspen got a cool new car from Grandma Hazel and Papaw

Isn't he precious? 

He didn't know WHAT to think!

He wasn't really a fan. We were surprised!

Aspen with his Grandma Hazel and Papaw

His Granny loves him so! 

We ended the night with a celebration at our favorite mexican restaurant.

Aspen was healthy and well on his birthday and we were so grateful! 

We will be walking to add more tomorrows for our precious Aspen! Our annual walk will take place on May 17th at 8:30am at the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta. We walk for Aspen and for all of those with cystic fibrosis. A cure is SO close. Together we can make a difference for all!

Won't you join us in being a part of something BIG tomorrow?

We are so grateful for YOU!

Join us first on Wednesday night, April 16th, for Chick-fil-A night in Loganville. A portion of the proceeds will go towards the CF Foundation for a CURE!


Please continue to pray:

* That the drugs in trial will show to be effective

* That we will reach our team goal of $3,000

* That Aspen will stay healthy. He currently has a really croupy cough and is on Augmentin. Aspen won't go back to the clinic until May, unless something changes. 

* For a CURE 

Dear Aspen, 

Happy First Birthday! I hope one day you will read this blog from your first year and always know just how much you were and are loved. It's hard to believe that one year ago, you came into this world so tiny and small. It was our hope and prayer that you would be born healthy. You were in the hospital from April 1st until May 9th. That was a hard time but we also learned so much about life and about you during that time. Your Mama and Daddy stayed with you for 39 days and only left one night. Your Dee Dee and Pops spent almost every waking hour watching over you and holding you. The rest of your family were there so much too because we all love you SO! We prayed you wouldn't be born with Cystic Fibrosis but on April 8th, you were diagnosed with it. That diagnosis rocked our world for a few days but after those first few days, we have decided to work without stopping for a CURE for you and the many others with this awful disease. 

It is my prayer that Cystic Fibrosis will never define who you are because there is so much more to you! Cystic Fibrosis is just a small and tiny piece of what makes you…YOU! You are funny and smart. You are inquisitive. I hope you'll always be a learner and never stop trying to learn all that you can. You love to dance and you never sit still, just like your Dee Dee! :) I'm praying for you now…every single day, to be all that God made you to be. I believe you are going to make a difference in this world. I believe you are going to thrive. I believe there will be a CURE one day for you! 

It is my prayer that you will come to know the Lord Jesus as your personal savior and always trust in Him and His sovereign plan. We don't know why things happen but we do know who is in control. 

Your smile, your laugh, your sweet expressions bring such JOY to all of our lives. We are grateful for you and all that you are and will be. 

Your Dee Dee loves you and with this blog, I hope you will have many wonderful memories. 

Love, 

Dee Dee

Happy one year, sweet boy!