*** Several people have asked how they can make a donation for Aspen's birthday... so I decided to post this link at the beginning of his blog. You can register to walk with us on May 21st at our Great Strides 2016 walk in Atlanta or make a donation to our team here. Just copy and paste the link below for our page:
http://fightcf.cff.org/site/TR/GreatStrides/40_Georgia_Atlanta?team_id=47468&pg=team&fr_id=4994
*******************************************************************
Aspen! You're THREE! How can it be? :)
*******************************************************************
Aspen! You're THREE! How can it be? :)
Good Friday, 2013! A day I'll never, ever forget. I think back on that day and it brings such memories. Sometimes it seems so long ago and at other times... it seems like yesterday. I am SO honored that your Mommy and Dada allowed me to watch you come into this world.
March 29, 2013.... 12:21 AM! 6 pounds and 10 ounces... a blessing from the Lord!
3 short days later, you had emergency surgery at Egleston. 10 short days later, you were diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. We didn't know much about CF at that time... but just NINE days after you left the hospital... we were walking in our local Great Strides Atlanta walk for a CURE! And, we've never looked back!
Cystic Fibrosis does NOT define who you are... but it's changed SO much about me and all of our family. We treasure every day all that much more.
You were born with a class I mutation (the worst out of VI classes) and a class II mutation. Statistically, you shouldn't be doing as well as you have. Statistically... you should have been back in the hospital. Statistically, you "should" have had some lung exasperations.
It took us all a little while to come to terms with the diagnosis of CYSTIC FIBROSIS! So many questions. So many unknowns. So many "what ifs" and so much FEAR!
BUT GOD! God has shown me a new perspective. God has shown me that things could always be worse. God has shown me that no matter WHAT the doctors say... HE is the one in charge of YOUR life and my life and everyone's life. God has our days numbered before we are born. He sees and He knows! God has shown us such mercy. God has shown UP!
You are in God's hands sweet boy! As much as it's hard for me, your Mommy, Dada, Pops and all of our family to realize.... HE LOVES YOU EVEN MORE THAN WE DO! How is that possible??? But we know that He loves you SO much and your Dee Dee... your family.... love you SO very much!
You bring us so much JOY! SO much happiness! Thank you, Lord, for how well Aspen has done these past 3 years. Protect him. Guide him in YOUR ways.
Aspen, I pray every day that you will come to know the Lord at an early age. I pray that you will persevere above your circumstances. I pray that CF will never define you because you are SO much more than CF.
Please join us in prayer:
* For a CURE and helpful treatments in trial
* For Aspen's to maintain his weight
* For Aspen to stay healthy and not have any lung exasperations
* For his ANNUAL CF appointment (much more in depth) in June
* For Lindsey and Chris as they handle his daily care
* For our fundraising to reach our goal for a CURE
* For wisdom as Lindsey and Chris decide on allowing Aspen to get more involved with other children through the summer (nursery...etc). This is a HUGE step of faith as his clinic has discouraged him from being around other children much until now (and he still should stay in smaller groups and not be around anyone that is sick or that has been sick).
Aspen....
You are strong, hilarious, courageous, caring, stubborn, coordinated un-like any child I have seen, a climber... so full of LIFE and happiness. You love bubbles, balls, airplanes, trains and all things outdoors. You love milk-shakes, fruit, cookies, gummies, spaghetti and cheese burgers. LOL You love running in the yard with Pops! You love Dee Dee to throw the ball with you and sing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. You love your Dada to tickle you and throw you high and fly your helicopter. You love your Mommy when everything needs to be "right"! You love to pick flowers for your Mommy. You're a Mama's boy for sure. You love playing with Nelly and for her tickle you and learning to cast your fishing pole with Co-Chri. You love to share your food with Bennett and you're protective of him but you're not very fond of sharing your toys. :) You pretend you are a kitty cat or a lion and every single day you say more and more that cracks us all up!
We had such a wonderful month right up to your birthday....
We started the month with an Aspen/Dee Dee date to CFA and to get a prize at the store. Your sweet smile makes Dee Dee's heart melt!
I love taking silly selfies with YOU!
You have so much personality!
You chose a tackle box for your play doh and some eggs at Walmart!
Watching you discover new things makes my heart happy!
You made a rainbow.... SO! MUCH! FUN!
You love bubbles and you MUST pour them. We've gone through quite a few bottles! :)
Dada got the go-cart fixed and you LOVE to take rides through the yard...
The end of February was very warm. You found your first "Charlie" of the season. You love finding Charlie!
Washing the car with Dada! You love to spray... but you're not so fond of BEING sprayed! LOL
Dee Dee got you a ball with a velcro catcher for one of your prizes! We had SO much fun playing in the yard.
You love ALL things bubbles! You love "eating" bubbles, chasing bubbles and blowing your own bubbles! You even crack your own self up! :)
I love watching you play in our huge yard! You have a VW van and a John Deere tractor that you play with for hours!
Dada is brave to let you ride between his legs! LOL
Dee Dee got you these HUGE eggs at Walmart. I love how you, Dada and Bennett use them. :)
Getting a cookie at Publix is always fun...
Dada hooked up the trailer on the tractor and you took B for a ride!
You're protective of him and wanted to make sure he didn't fall out.
You LOVE Pops to chase you around the yard...
If anyone gets out of their chair... you're sure to take it over! :)
You've graduated from the blue swing to the big boy swing! You have SO much fun!
I love that we share a birthday month! Pops threw Dee Dee a surprise party at Mystic Grill in Covington!
You were SO good. You had fun sitting with your friend, Raegan.
You ate SOME of your macaroni and cheese but were more interested in Nelly's hamburger... LOL
Your sweet friend, Raegan. Raegan raised $400 for your fundraiser for a CURE this year. We are blessed to have her in our lives. You LOVE playing with her. We love you Raegan!
You gave Barbara a HUGE hug. She loves you!
You are so SILLY!
You are one cool Dude! Nelly took you to get your pictures made by a professional... You're SO cute!
On Dee Dee's actual birthday... we went to Frontera and ate lunch on the patio. I love your Thomas hat. :)
You are starting to ask to take pictures and that makes this Dee Dee's heart smile!
I love how you watch out for B and help him...
You love your Mommy to push you in the stroller down the driveway...
You love to run and jump and climb and I'm SO grateful. All that movement is good for your lungs!
Dada is starting to grow some plants for your garden... okra, tomatoes, watermelons and zucchini. You had so much fun helping him.
I can't wait to watch you in your garden...
Why play IN the house when you can play ON the house?! :)
Caught in action! You were trying to push B down the slide... against his will. LOL
Dada took you on a date to "Stevie B's!" You traded in your tickets for a sword.
You were such a big boy getting your hair cut. You actually were excited to go.
We went by the Loganville toddler park when we left getting your hair cut. You LOVE to slide!
This is Dee Dee's friend, Michele. She is helping us raise money for a CURE! She leads a class called, "Run for God - Run for Aspen!" Me and Nelly had lunch with her after ordering t-shirts for our 5k. We are so grateful for her love and support!
Your Mommy and Dee Dee go to a class every week called, "Run for God - Run for Aspen!" Nelly came up with a cool way for people to donate for a CURE. These are the t-shirts that people are wearing for YOU! I love this verse! "Breathe life into our lungs so we can shout your name O Lord!" Psalm 80:18...
We kept our same logo... Aspen leaves with BELIEVE... because we #Believe in a CURE!
We will be walking/running in this race on April 30th in YOUR honor. Praise the Lord for compassionate people like Michele. #grateful
We are asking people to be our "backer" all for you sweet boy and a CURE for CF!
SO many people have made this photo their cover photo on Facebook. All for you....
I LOVE these pictures I took of you! You've got your purple "CF" shirt on and you're blowing dandelions... because blowing is good for your lungs!
You are such a HAM! I love how much you laugh...
You just got your hair cut and it makes you look so much older...
That smirk.... SO stinking CUTE!
You love the creek and throwing things in...
Your laugh is infectious!
You are the cutest 3 year old there ever was!
Good try at crossing those arms, sweet boy!
You are so handsome!
That sweet smile makes ME smile!
Blow hard and strong... and may you NEVER have to struggle just to breathe! #myprayer
YOU ARE HILARIOUS!
Your eyes! TOO funny!
That sweet face....
May you always LOVE adventure...may you always love to explore. May you always know your Dee Dee LOVES you!
Dee Dee took you on an Aspen/Dee-Dee date for being such a BIG boy while taking your pictures for the CF Foundation. You ate every bite of your "tigers blood" frozen yogurt.
I love to watch you enjoy what you eat...
You ate every drop...
Dada was going kayaking... you are so funny!
Bennett thinks you are hilarious! I love to watch you two play!
You love to eat Dee Dee's "smart pop", so I bought you your own.
Mommy says that Dada fell asleep, so you ate his bag too! :)
You and Mommy, Dada and Bennett went to Dave and Busters! You LOVE playing the games...
You traded in your points for a "whoopie cushion!" LOL
Dee Dee was SO happy to see you when we got home from Florida. You were all waiting for us in the driveway and you came running up to the truck and jumped in my lap. Dee Dee was SO excited.
We played outside with Nelly and your bubbles...
And then we went and got frozen yogurt... :)
You said..."Take my picture with the owl, Dee Dee!"
This picture cracks me up! You were eating some of B's! LOL
You and Bennett came up the next afternoon and we played outside while Mommy and Dada went shopping and to dinner...
It started to rain, so we ate and went to the basement to watch The Grinch! You said, "Take my picture in my boat, Dee Dee!" :) Your boat!!! HAHAHA #lovesac :)
The Grinch is your favorite movie! You didn't budge...
unless you were being silly!
I sure do LOVE you Little Mister!
Good Friday fun! You were born on Good Friday, 2013! We celebrated with bubbles, jelly beans and dying eggs...
You love to blow bubbles and catch bubbles with your mouth. You think that's hilarious!
Good job, buddy!
One of your prizes from Stevie B's! Blow that flute sweet boy! :)
Mommy and I went to cook dinner and came back to a jelly bean eating party! LOL
We dyed eggs and made a huge mess but you and Bennett had fun!
Bennett didn't quite understand why he couldn't do as many eggs as you could!
You thought your hands were funny until you couldn't get them clean....hahaha!
Looks like you may have hands like this on Easter! HA!
And we thought these hands were dirty THEN!
The look of concern when they won't wipe clean. LOL
You have so much fun being silly!
I think you had just as much fun emptying the dye bowls. :)
We went to the Atlanta ZOO on for your birthday weekend... It was a rainy day but we had an awesome time!
I think the gorilla's were your very favorite. We had so much fun watching them play.
You were amazed at how they played. It kind of reminded me of you and B! :)
You and Dada chasing down the birds...
This picture makes me laugh! You wanted to look and say "CHEESE" but you also wanted to watch the birds! LOL
You loved looking at all there was to see!
The tigers came up so close...
We ate lunch at the cafe...
We had to laugh! You snuck up on the table for a sip of Dada's coke. You are so sneaky! :)
LOL!
The petting zoo was fun...
Guess what you wanted from the gift shop? Bubbles! And more bubbles! :)
I loved watching your face as you looked at all of the animals...
Your Mommy and Dada bought you these cool bubbles that wouldn't pop with your special gloves. :)
We celebrated your birthday weekend with cupcakes from Special Kneads...
You were trying to eat the "clouds" off...
The Easter Bunny came to see you and Bennett!
You grabbed B's hand to go and see what the Bunny brought y'all...
Running to go and check it out...
You got some Spider Man sunglasses and a fishing pole and all sorts of goodies...
Easter morning at church. We're SO grateful the rain held off for our outside service...
When we were leaving, you wanted us all to hold hands! SO SWEET!
After church you weren't very happy that we took your dress shirt off and put one of Pop's on. LOL
Being silly with Nelly!
Dee Dee and Pops had you an Easter basket also!
You are so silly!
All of our family came to your house for Easter. You love playing with your fishing pole!
Co Chri loves playing with you....
We're not sure how many pounds of candy you have eaten...
You don't ride IN your car, you climb ON your car!
This way there is room for you both! LOL
Playing with Steven on Easter...
You and Grady are buddies!
Happy Easter with Granny and Papa....
Easter was rainy and we couldn't get outside family pictures....
But Monday was beautiful and we played outside and had an Easter egg hunt...
This is your first time picking flowers for Mommy without being prompted. YOU are SO sweet!
This cracked us up! The sun was in Lindsey's eyes and she held her hands up like Aspen and told him to smile and well.... he held his hands up too! Good job, buddy! :)
This makes me laugh so much!
Aspen: Another picture? Bennett: I'm about to take my eggs back! hahaha
You had so much fun finding and stealing all B's eggs too! LOL
You have a little bit of a stubborn streak and were in time out for not listening.... LOL Your face! :)
Happy Birthday, sweet Aspen!!!! YOU ARE THREE!
We went shopping with Granny and Papa's money at Target... You got a Spider Man bike and all the gear! :) Oh...and a helicopter! LOL
We went to eat at the Flying Machine in Lawrenceville for lunch and a really nice pilot let us go out and see their airplane!
We were able to watch a lot of planes land and take off...
The pilot offered for you to get in the plane with him but you weren't too sure about that idea. LOL
Standing on the wing... Pretty cool, Aspen! :)
You were fascinated!
You had a cheeseburger for lunch with your new "take off" shirt! :)
I loved watching you, Aspen!
Taking pictures with Mommy!
Our pilot friends were leaving and you had to take more pictures...
What an awesome 3rd birthday you've had so far and your Mommy has so much more fun planned this afternoon and tonight. We're going to make your own pizza for dinner and get ice cream and open presents. Pops made you something special! :) We can't wait for you to see!
Our CF fundraising is in full swing! We're off to a slow start but we are doing ALL that we can to raise awareness and money for a CURE!
We sold over 100 t-shirts for a CURE! We are so grateful for everyone that bought a t-shirt because 100% of the proceeds went towards a CURE for you and all with CF!
You are a HOOT! You keep us laughing with all the things you say! Just a few of the things you've said this month:
"You got me batteries, Dee Dee! That was nice. That was so sweet of you!" HAHAHAHA
"B!!!! Don't say NO to Dee Dee! Come here right now!"
"B!!! Do not cry! NO sir, B! No sir! Listen to me!"
"Mommy! Be careful!" (when Mommy pulled out a little in front of a car). :)
You drew circles and triangles on the fridge door with your fudge pop! LOL
You took the belt off the go-cart and put it around your face and said..."Hey, look! I'm a lion!" LOL
You put the camera in Bennett's face and told him to smile!
You love for me (and me only for some reason) to sing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer." When you're singing it by yourself... this is how it goes>>>> "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Funny Deer, Love him, Love him...YIPPEEE"
You love for me (and me only for some reason) to sing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer." When you're singing it by yourself... this is how it goes>>>> "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Funny Deer, Love him, Love him...YIPPEEE"
These are just the things that Dee Dee can remember! You are SO funny! You have a bit of a stubborn streak but you can see how much you want to "cave" and not be stubborn. LOL We're hoping that will "break" soon. You're so protective of B and you love to "correct" him but you also love to push him out of the way. :) You two have a sweet relationship overall though.
We are ALL working so hard to raise money for a CURE! Dee Dee had a Thirty-One party and raised almost $400 for a CURE. I'm having a Pampered Chef party this week... your birthday week... in honor of your birthday. And, my sweet friend, Wanda, is having a PC party for you in April and my sweet friend, Sandie, is having a party for you in April as well. And... My friend Julie is having a Tastefully Simple party for you. We are BLESSED with sweet friends! We are doing ALL we can to find a CURE sweet boy!
Pops is starting a #bankingonaCURE campaign at work in hopes to raise money. We are SO excited about the possibilities that this campaign has. I'm working along with Pops to do ALL we can for you. I hope you will always and forever know how much your Dee Dee and Pops love you!
May you laugh about things even when they aren't funny (Dee Dee is good at that...hahaha) ... may you always love life no matter what the obstacles, may you know that God LOVES you unconditionally and cling to HIS truths, may you know your Mommy and Dada LOVE you to the moon and back and back again forever more and know that all your family and your Dee Dee LOVE and adore you something fierce.
You are prayed for and LOVED always and forever.
Happy Birthday ASPEN!
