{a happy hearts event}

Henry's preschool had a Valentines Day party called "A happy hearts event".
  We put Eliza down for the night and scheduled a sitter to stay with her.  It was so fun to go with just Henry to his special program.  Henry loved having mom and dad all to himself.  They sang some really fun songs about love and even had a guitarist playing while they sang.  The audience also got to participate with some of the songs.  They also had a craft ready for families to do together.  We made a huge poster with a big heart in the middle that opened up.  On the outside of the heart Henry got to choose all sorts of things to glue on (beads, feathers, paper, etc.)  On the inside we took turns saying what made our hearts feel happy.   Henry's heart is happy when he spends time with his grandparents, when daddy comes home from work,  when he is playing with space shuttles, and eating ice cream.  It was a great activity to do as a family!

{soccer and a baby}

It has been really fun to see Eliza grow and change in the last couple of weeks.  Her hair is starting to grow, she is talking more, and is definitely more active.  Her sweet little personality is changing a bit.  She is becoming a tease and loves to laugh and run!  She loves some of the same things like legos and books, but more often she is now moving about, exploring and wanting to climb.  She also loves anything that Henry loves...:)  Eliza is showing some serious skill with kicking a ball.  We might have to put her in soccer when she is older.  I like these pictures because they show how she goes from one thing to the next, a ball and then loves for a dolly!

{a goodbye}

It has been truly fantastic having Gramme and Poppy here in Illinois.  We love having family visit!!!  The kids are definitely going to miss them, but we are excited to go to Utah in the summer and see all the grandparents and cousins and aunts and uncles.  We are blessed to have such a wonderful extended family.  We would love to be closer to everyone, but feel at home here in Dunlap and are grateful for such a good job, a great ward, and a nice neighborhood.  We did not take very many pictures while my parents were here because we were kept pretty busy:)  Here is our last picture taken.  We went to a mexican restaurant:)


{a little bit blurry:)}

{happy and healthy}

{a valentines day}

I think of Valentines Day as a marvelous day to use pink and hearts and have yummy candy.  It is for sure a fun holiday for kids.  As a child I loved decorating my shoe box and taking it to school with a hopeful heart and bringing it home brimming with treats and I like you's.  In high school I wore black on Valentines, and later ended up engaged on Valentines.  Now, I get to experience the holiday as I think it should be

...family fun!

I love showing my children how dear they are to me!

{delicious strawberries and a heart plate = one happy girl}

{more please!!!}

{Henry loves whipped cream just like his mama)

{pure joy}

{He was able to choose what color plate and picked pink, lately he really likes the color)

{Henry picked out Eliza's gift all by himself.  He was so excited to give it to her!  She was wondering what it was:)}

A simple day full of love.  It was so nice to have Gramme and Poppy as part of our day!  I even got to go to lunch with my mom...so fun!  I also started a new tradition this year that the kids love. 

 I found this darling heart shaped rug. 

It is....THEEE LOVE RUG.

We take turns sitting on it before family prayer and everyone takes a turn to say what they love about the person on the rug.  Eliza would sit on it again and again and then look at you expectantly:).  It is going to be a fun tradition to do each year.

{love balloons.... it seemed at first like such a good idea:)}

{cuddling with daddy}

{Henry was also excited to give Chris the card that he picked out.  He picked cards out for Gramme and Poppy, and also Eliza}

Happy Valentines!

{a heart check up}

Eliza had her post-op check up today.  She had blood drawn and a chest x-ray.  We then had an appointment with the cardiologist and then the surgeon.  She did amazing!!!  It was a long couple of hours, but she was calm for the most part and happy.  She recovered quickly from the needles and x-ray.

 

Eliza's heart sounds fantastic! 

 Her lungs are already almost clear of fluid and everything else is normal and healing great!

 Pure joy!!! 

 Pure Elation!!!

I have not been able to stop smiling all day!  I was so thrilled I missed my own doctors appointment...I totally forgot.

We are now able to take her off one of the meds and can start to wean her off of the motrin.  In a couple of days we can go down to twice a day and then a week later down to once a day.  Hooray!

{quiet time at home}

We have been playing and reading and relaxing at home for a couple of weeks now.  Henry was able to go with Gramme and Poppy to visit Aunt Kierste and her kids in Michigan.  I was able to really cuddle and read and lounge with Eliza that first week of being home.  She thrived on all the attention and really started to become more of herself everyday.  She had been really clingy and unsure since the hospital so this was nice to see.  It was nice for Henry to get out and go play with his cousins and it was also good for him to be able to run around and not hear "no" so many times pertaining to Eliza.  She could not be touched anywhere on her chest and of course not pushed or wrestled.  We were told not to pick her up underneath her arms either.  Eliza is healing very quickly and both kids are just loving spending time with Gramme and Poppy.  It has been such a wonderful visit.  This would have been a very different story if I was alone with a very anxious and recovering baby girl and a very bored and active 4 year old.  Thank you just does not even begin to cover it.  A hard situation was truly turned into a blessing:)  Thank you mom and dad!

(Coloring at the table)

(Henry loves to write letters and words)

 

We made this tractor together.  Henry was so thrilled.  He loves doing little projects.  We glued it together and then painted it.  Henry did a great job!  My dad also helped Henry make a house out of cardboard and all sorts of other things.  He had a great time painting it afterwards.  Henry has been able to spend lots of time with Poppy playing and rough housing and working.  He has been able to spend lots of time cuddling in bed with Gramme and reading books and all sorts of other things.  I am not sure how Gramme got away with no pictures this time!!:)  I think Eliza is thinking that Gramme and Poppy are a permanent fixture in our home.  She loves them so much and the feeling is very mutual.

{recovery in the hospital...continued}

I realize there are many pictures that are quite similar. 

For some reason I cannot get myself to delete any of them.  I am not quite sure why, but I seem to be attached to every one of them. 

So here is our sweet baby girl FINALLY acting more like herself...Oh happy day!

{Daddy reading books}

{sitting up!!!}

{a little of her funny personality came out...she thought it was so funny to put her legs straight up in the air}

I was so happy when she ate for the first time in almost three days...so here are four:) pictures of her eating cheerios...I was delighted!!!

I hope I never take for granted the small miracles in a child's life.  The sweet smiles, sitting up, walking, running, laughing, drinking, eating cheerios, and being a kid.  I know there are parents who have children where each developmental milestone is truly a miracle.  My heart aches with them and also rejoices in all of the small stepping stones that most of us take for granted.  It really was not that long until Eliza was able to sit up just a little (it was hard for her) and start to walk around a little...just two days.  It seemed like forever.  Perspective is everything.

{recovery in the hospital}

{Eliza needed lots of comfort items once she was really awake and aware}

{well enough for some legos}



{Eliza loves making a church with her fingers...with all the people}