kindergarten play

On Friday Laila was in the cutest Kindergarten play.  She was a dragonfly.  Laila had been singing the songs and practicing her lines a lot at home and did so well reciting them.  I made her wings and headband. The wings were really fun to make.  I made them out of wire clotheshangers, panty hose, paint and glitter. I love that her school has programs like this for the kids to participate in and for the parents to attend.  Right after I took these pictures the prettiest dragonfly flew by us!

happy easter!

the fair

We love when the fair comes to town each spring. This was Dahlia's first time going. She loved riding the carousel.  She was a little unsure at first, but once the ride was over, she want to ride again and again.

walking!

This post is a little late, but for about two months now, Dahlia has been walking on her own!  Nothing has come easy for her, including walking. Through a lot of hard work, determination and physical therapy she is now walking unassisted.  Dahlia has been loving her new found freedom. She is loving getting to play with her siblings and cousins without scooting around after them or needing someone to hold her hand to steady her as she walks.  I am so proud of her, she is such a determined, resilient, little girl.

weekend getaway

Recently Brian and I went on a overnight getaway to Louisiana.  We visited New Iberia and St. Martinville, which are in the heart of Cajun country.  This is the area where the French colonists originally settled after they where expelled from Acadia (Nova Scotia) by the British.

We toured this charming house which was built as a winter home by a famous actor in 1870.  The gardens here were so beautiful, with peacocks roaming everywhere.  Buried treasure chests were found under one of the giant oak trees, and was said to have belonged to the pirate, Jean Lafitte.  While we were there, they were setting up for a wedding, what a beautiful place for a wedding!  There was also a cafe on the property overlooking a lake.  We had lunch here and ate the best bread pudding!

We also toured this Antebellum home which sits on the Bayou Teche.  I loved this tour.  The tour guide was so knowledgeable and entertaining.  This home was owned by generations of the same family before it was handed over to the preservation society.  Everything in the home was original to the family, including hundreds of documents and letters, which give an amazing insight to the family history as well as the time period.

We also visited the Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site, which was originally an early Creole Plantation.  Our tour guide, a French speaking Cajun, gave the tour of the property in both English and fluent French, because we had people in our group from Quebec.  It was so fun to listen to.

 This is the 300 year old Gabriel Oak which is on the property.

 This is the Evangeline Oak which was made famous in Longfellow's poem "Evangeline".

While we were in the area we also toured the Tabasco Factory, which was Brian's favorite part of the trip.  The gift shop had Tabasco products which you could sample, including Tabasco Coke, and Tabasco ice cream.  This was a much need getaway; we are lucky to live so close to an area so rich in history!

ava's baptism

Last Saturday, Ava was baptized.  It was a wonderful service, and Ava had lots of family and friends there.  Both of her grandmothers spoke at her baptism, which was really special for her.  Ava was baptized by her daddy and wore a beautiful white dress that one of her cousins also wore on her baptism day.  Afterwards, we had a luncheon in honor of Ava, that I had lots of fun planning.  Ava was was so excited to get baptized and loved her special day.  It was also a very special day for me to watch my first daughter get baptized.

happy valentine's day!

weekend trip to austin

Last weekend we took a trip to Austin to attend Brian's cousin's wedding reception and spend time with his family.  We hadn't been to Austin in years and it was so much fun to go back.  Our kids were in heaven getting to spend time with lots of cousins all weekend long.  While we were there we did a little bit of sight seeing.  We went to a scenic overlook of the city.  The view was so pretty from up there.  We also went to a beautiful creek that ran through the city and had some hiking trails.  Of course the boys just had to take off their socks and shoes and wade through it, even though the water was freezing!  Thank you so much to all the family in Austin, we had a great time!

third heart transplant anniversary

Today is a very special day, it is the third anniversary of Dahlia's heart transplant.  I remember clearly all the emotions I was feeling that day; joy, sadness for the donor family, and overwhelming gratitude.  We have been given three beautiful years that would have been impossible without organ donation.  Before Dahlia was placed on the waiting list for a new heart, organ donation was a subject which I really didn't think about and I am ashamed to say, I was not registered as an organ donor.  This was something that I though never would affect me, but it did and I am now a registered donor.