Happy Heart Day Erin!!!

Today is a day we will always celebrate! One year ago today we were at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin for Erin's open heart surgery to repair her ventricular septal defect (VSD), a hole between the lower chambers of the heart. Dr. Tweddell, Erin's surgeon, did a fabulous job and we will always be thankful for his skill as a top notch surgeon.

For memory's sake, here are some pictures from a year ago....

Here's Erin right before surgery


And right after...


And here she is now watching her siblings out the window, wishing she could be out joining in their fun! What a difference a year (and a healthy heart) makes. Thank you God!

Our Michigan Trip

Last weekend we took a trip to Michigan to visit my parents. As always, it was great to see them even though it literally rained the whole time we were there. I believe they got almost 8 inches of rain from Friday night to Monday morning!

On Friday, we met in Muskegan, MI for an Irish festival. One of our favorite bands, Scythian, was playing. We were so close to the festival that we decided we didn't want to miss their performance. Mike and the older kids had seen them in Milwaukee in August. The band members went to school with Mike's brother, Tim. So, I guess you can say we're sort of Scythian groupies! They really are a great group of guys who have an incredible talent.

Here are Mike and Erin waiting for the show
Molly Grace with Grandma
Band member, Dan, meeting Erin for the first time
The kids enjoying the sounds

Well, as you can see, we have some brave members in the family. I am not one of them. While it rained and rained I sat inside the cottage taking pictures from the window. You'll notice the screens in the pictures....sorry about that. Rain or shine, the kids were not going to go to Grandma and Grandpa's lake cottage without going swimming in the lake!

Buddy Walk!!!

Today was our annual Buddy Walk. If you are unfamiliar with Buddy Walks, they are sponsored events that take place all around the country that support and advocate for all those with Down syndrome. They are primary fundraisers and a lot of fun! This was our first year attending and we were pleased to see such a nice turnout. The mayor and other community leaders were there as well as children's entertainers. The Knights of Columbus were major sponsors this year and they provided horse rides for the kids. We were thrilled to finally meet up with Micah's family, some friends we have met since Erin and Micah's birth (Micah's mom, Jennie, and I went to college together. It had been a loooong time since we had seen each other!)



Erin and Mike Our little friend, Micah
Erin and Micah (I love this picture!)
Teresa
Aidan
MG

A little face painting makes a little girl smile

Erin snoozing with Mom
And last but not least, next year's cover girl for the local Buddy Walk!

Oh No! Someone Left Their Mark

Oh dear. These pictures really don't need much explanation if you first read the Joker post, below. It looks like Aidan strikes again.



***Edited to add.....it was not Aidan after all. The blame goes to one of his big sisters LOL. Aidan felt very strongly that the truth be heard!

The Joker

I'm not sure if this is funny or just scary! One thing is for certain, however, and that is when Aidan comes up missing we're never sure exactly which character is will reappear as. You have to admit, he did a pretty good job with his attempt at transforming himself into the Joker! I think this will be a back-up plan for Halloween in case his Sully costume (from Monster's Inc.)doesn't fit!

Happy Belated Birthday to the BOYS!

Wow, it's been a while since I've made a post to our blog! It's not been because we've been bored :).Rather, I've been busy sending off assignments and grades from LAST school year and then preparing for THIS school year, all in a two week span. In those two weeks we've had two birthdays - Mike and Aidan. Our computer has been acting up as well as my camera, so I'll be trying to download some pictures on a later post. Mike turned 45 on the 18th and Aidan turned seven on the 21st! We had some great celebrations. Moira made Aidan's "mud cake" with (gummy) worms and all. He especially loved his Webkins dog and his Lego seaport and ship set.

Yesterday Aidan had his first cast removed and his second cast put on. He was able to choose his color. He chose green for Brett Favre. Now he can move his elbow, and in two more weeks and he'll have this cast removed as well!

Here's a picture of our great little seven year old, fashioning his sister's sun glasses.(I'll be sure to post his b-day pictures when I can!). He sure has made our lives better with him in it! We love you, Aidan!

Family Night

We always attend the first Packer scrimmage, called Family Night, which always fully packs Lambeau Field. Amazing. Even though it rained, had a delay, and was filled with controversy, the kids enjoyed it.

Here's our friend, Debbi, gazing at the fireworks
Cousin Aileen at the picnic before the game



Debbi, Bridget, Colleen, Madison, Emmett and Eileen
You'll have to click on this one to see the sign...
The fireworks were great!
Emmett giving a smile for the camera

Family Fun

Every summer we look forward to our many family gatherings. Mike's family was here for a week, starting the end of July. As always, we packed in a lot of fun and had a great time. Here are some memories in the making...

We met in Milwaukee to visit Mike's Grandma Dillon. Here she is with Suzy, Tim, Aileen and Joe.
Grandma loved seeing Erin. The last time she saw her was the night before Erin's open-heart surgery (the surgery that she has in common with Great-Grandma) last September.
Erin and Joe have fun in the kiddie pool


The princesses, looking quite enchanting (even with big black leather gloves)...
We took the monkeys to the zoo (yes, that is Mike peeking through the baby penguin head)...











And we went to Bay Beach. Some friends of ours were with us as well. Here's their little three, Cecilia, Isabella and Gabriel.
Molly Grace and Margaret
Joe
Aidan, Margaret, Molly Grace and Aileen
Gabriel, Cecilia and Isabella

Erin and Mike
The whole gang of cousins