a different kind of perfect

i'm a mom...on a mission...to enjoy life everyday...appreciate the little moments...try not to get so easily annoyed...raise my kids with a faith legacy that leads them to continue to be amazing people...and to make my husband feel as special as he makes me feel.

What is Cystic Fibrosis?

CF is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30k children and adults in the US (70k worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that both clogs the lungs and obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food. [www.cff.org]

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Spartans, Pancakes, Taco Boats, Birthdays and Elves

We're a bit late with this post but better late than never...

October is all around a great month...never a shortage of fun for us...we kicked off the month with a happy birthday to Jim (and to our niece and nephew).  When we showed up at the kids birthday party, Mia (our goddaughter) handed us a Ziploc baggie of money.  We said, this is your birthday, what is this for?  She said, this is the money I made from selling fruit punch, I made it for Dean. We have been amazed at how many people think of Dean throughout the year and help us raise money for CF in their own way!  What a girl! Thank you Mia Mia!

Mia's fruit punch sales for CF
October was also full of all kinds of sportsWe watched Jim, Candy, Sunni & Emily pound the pavement for 26.2 miles on October 7th as they raised money for CF, reached personal milestones and goals and inspired many in so many different ways.  To read about how proud of them we are and to see some pictures, here is the link to our last blog post. 

Owen's third exciting soccer season came to a close (he's in blue).  This third year of playing proved exciting and the games were as intense as they could be for 1st-3rd graders!

Cali made the swim team and loves her new found challenge of beating her time with each race/meet.  She's comfortable swimming free and back and tried the breast stroke at her first USS!  We're hoping to get a medley in before the season ends!  Go Sharks!  Go Cal!!



Evie and Owen both competed in two Tae Kwon Do tournaments this fall...Evie as a Camo belt and Owen as a Purple.  They go to ATA in Frankfort where they learn not only self-defense but also strong character traits/values (integrity, self-control, discipline).  It's a family-oriented school with great instructors helping the kids learn a great sport and discipline!


Tae Kwon Do Tournament
Jim completed his FINAL race of 2012...the Spartan Dash (which he described as the Warrior Dash on steroids).  I was supposed to do it with him but after reading the warnings on the packet, I decided it was not in my best interest to compete in this one (well at least this year)!   Thanks Lis for capturing Jim scaling the wall!

Really?
Jim scaling the wall at the Spartan Race
PANCAKES
One of the highlights of our fall each year, is the pancake breakfast at the preschool.  The kids (and adults) really look forward to it!  This was our 7th one and the kids really enjoy the breakfast, activities and togetherness. 
2012 Pancake Breakfast

OUR 7 YEAR OLD
Owen James Burns, what a handsome young man.  He turned 7 this month and is such an amazing kid.  He's ever so sensitive to others feelings, truly wants to please, amazes us with his ability to do math in his head and knows how important being a good person is to living a full life.  He can't get enough of legos and puts together sets in record times.  We can't find enough space to keep all the legos but love watching him figure it all out.  Here is a picture of him with the 3lbs of bacon that he requested for his birthday and a picture with his buddies as they all celebrated and played a little Laser Tag.   One of my favorite memories of Owen this year is him taking an interest in Dad's cologne and bathroom counter.  He frequently comes ready for the day sporting the AFTA scent.  Reminders of how childhood goes all too quickly...

Happy 7th to our bacon lover

Laser Tag
HALLOWEEN
gotta love it...Abuela made some fantastic costumes to cater to Dean's obsession with the movie Elf.  He quotes the movie constantly and just loves his new look!!  Dean is joined as Elf by Dad, Mom and Evie sporting the Jovie costumes.  Owen continues to save the world as Batman and Cal was doubling as a candy corn and a homemade Christmas gift (thanks Omma)!

                                        

Since this blog was set up to track Dean's health, we are proud, proud, proud that Dean's October well check up came back with a clear culture!  It's a stressful appointment and an even more stressful week waiting for the culture results to come back but so very happy that he is healthy, gaining weight, in the 50-75% for height and weight (anything 50+ is desirable) and acting like the typical 2 year old.  He is hilarious, such a funny kid.  We're very thankful for Dean, for his health, for his humor, his influence, his love of life and soon, so very soon, we'll kick off our 2013 fundraising season and hope, wish, pray you'll be right alongside us.  We have many opportunities to join raising money ultimately in the quest for a cure...

If you're in the area, Save the Date for our Great Strides walk on Saturday May 18th at 9:30am.  If you're willing to attend a walk for us in your area, there are hundreds of them around the nation, drop us a line and we'll get it all set up for you.  This would be a HUGE way to help us raise money for r&d for CF treatments, ones that could potentially be the cure for Dean's CF.  If you can see getting your family and friends involved in a walk near you, we'll help you figure out the basics! 

One way we like to share awareness of CF is sharing some recipes that we found that not only Dean enjoys but the other kids (and us too).  With 3 different diets in the household (regular, vegetarian and Dean’s high fat, high calorie), we submitted our "fun taco boat" recipe to the Back to School Chef4CF.com contest and defended last year’s lunchtime CF crown, scoring another kitchen scale!  Check out the recipe on the site if you need something simple, yummy and easily modifiable.  Here is a link to one of the online articles.  We’re always looking for healthy and tasty recipes so send any of your favorites our way! 

As you celebrate Thanksgiving with your families and friends, remember what means most to you this season and in life.  Take care to nurture those relationships and tell those people that you really care.  God Bless, Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for reading!

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