our little rock band....

Here it is... our own little rock band - two punks and a big guitar.

spunkerella.....

my oh my. Do you think she may have a career in theater!

we had so much fun......

the crazy beach babes!
I took this pic so that you could see how amazing this beach was... the black dot in the water is JED STANDING... the beach was hundreds of yards of knee deep water. The kids LOVED it and it makes it easy for momma to relax!



Notice the frog on peters head! The kids had fun "frog hunting" for hours.
They always found a ton!Luke's find Madison's hopper!
The retreat! A view from the fire
The girls LOVED the two puppies that the Maillefers had! They played for hours a day with Rosie and LuLu!

The clan. Bridget and Claire had to leave Friday nightLukie- Lu
Bridget and Claire

Madison and LuLu

Olivia and Rosie

We had such a great time in Door county with the Maillefers! We had lots of good rest and relaxation as well as good fun activities!

We swam, biked, kayaked lake Michigan, shopped, watched fireworks at the marina fest, scrapbooked, golfed, played games, read, drank lots of coffee, sat by the fire, cooked full meals on the fire, fished..... we had a great time and are so thankful for the Maillefer hospitality!!!

and we're off....

I am SOOOOOo excited to be heading out of town.....on vacation. Can you believe it, the Smith family is leaving town and not heading to a hospital! We will be heading to Door County tomorrow to stay with my dear aunt lori and uncle marc and their kiddos in their beautiful log cabin!!! We are so ready to relax... no tv, no cell phones, no internet and no agenda!

We all need a little r&r.

I will blog pics when we return on Sunday!

Have a great holiday weekend!

is she really six........

"Learning to trust God with a life as fragile as Madison's was one of the hardest trials I have ever faced. Seems silly when I think about it. The God who cut a dry path through a raging sea; the God who took a lowly Shepard boy, five stones and a slingshot and made him a warrior; The God who delivered Peter out of a guarded cell, is the same God who cupped His massive hands gently around a fragile body and breathed life. The same God who laid his hands upon the lepers, the outcast, the lame, placed His hands upon my heart and said "fear not, only believe". Every time I look at you Madison I remember the past, yet I can not help but think of the future. You were the best teacher I ever had. You taught me to have faith, that the Lord cares, and that we are not here by mistake or chance, but by the grace and love of God. Most importantly you taught me humility, for apart from God I can do nothing, but with Him nothing is impossible. We are not in control, but when we loosen the grip from those things we cling so tightly to, His tender voice will cut through the icy sting of disappointment & give us courage, strength and faith to face the trials of life head on."
Scrapbook entry from when Madison was in the NICU 6 years ago. Boy is it still true today!

Is it possible that six years ago today she was born?? I feel like I have been a mom forever

but yet I also feel like she was just born yesterday. Six years ago this sweet, precious, tender girl was struggling to breathe. I am so reminiscent tonight as the clock ticks by... I keep thinking about what was happening in the hospital 6 years ago to the hour. In the morning I will be thinking about the helicopter that came to take my sweet first child, just hours old, to Rockford to the NICU. Boy has she kept us on our toes!

Despite all of the medical issues that poor Madison has had she is such an amazingly happy little girl. These pictures make my heart smile as I can see that she is "just fine" even with all that she has been through. She loves life, loves people and best of all loves the Lord.

Sweet Madison Grace you will never know the love I have for you until you have a child of your own!!!

Happy birthday baby!

banged up beauty.....

Oh my goodness can the girl really not get a break??? Another injury to Madison's every growing list!!! Last night on Jed's duty (side note: chipped tooth and stitches have also happened on his duty!!!) the latest injury occurred, not that it has anything to do with neglect or not paying attention. I think that it is comical that when a mother leaves home wild accidents happen!

The kids were in bed early because today was Madison's first day of kindergarten. Jed heard some chatting upstairs, not unusual since the new adventure of sharing a room. A few minutes later the laughter turned to blood curdling scream...... here is the injury!

Ouch........

Madison was annoyed that Olivia "kept waking me up" so she invited her to come sleep in bed with her in hopes that she would settle down. Somehow on the way into bed Olivia's head collided with Madison's..... I came home and Madison was sound asleep with the icepack still in place. This morning it was a beautiful shiner. She cried because she did not want to go to school like that... we tried to tell her that the boys would think it was cool.

Always lots of reasons for pictures in this household!!!

Tonight we went to the fair to celebrate Madison birthday coming on Sunday. We took her good friend Gabby along! They had a great time and we are all pooped out!! And speaking of poop...we have had no accidents in 48 hours and 2 days of successfully pooing in the big girl potty!!! I feel an underwear shopping trip coming on!!!

Here are pics of the wild day.......

First Day of School

Still friends....even after the injury!!

At the fair....this is before Olivia freaked out because she was NOT a fan of the ride!

Gabby & Madison

Pouting after the "freaky" ride!!!Now we are better!!!

Taking it all in....Having a blast with NoahMadison is always up for a challengeAll tattooed up!!!Olivia was also not a fan of the noise in the barn!!

Madison was in love with this sheep!!! This is a GREAT fair picture...

dirty girl with missing teeth, black eye, petting sheep in pink leopard "outfit" all while carrying the bible she received at one of the booths!!!

another day with good news....

real quick update to be followed with more info later!
1- Madison pooped again!!!!!
2- Danielle has been discharged!! Scans looked good so she will follow up with her OB on Monday for pain management issues with the severe headaches... probably being causes by the other tumors that she has in her neck and shoulders.

Stay tuned for pics of Madison's latest injury!!! The girl should be living in a rubber room!!!!

We are off to the fair to celebrate all the good news and Madison's birthday(8-24) !

Nikki