Another year older and.....

My new favorite picture of me and my two little men

Zach hoping someone would let him drive the boat

Birthday Boy!

Ti and Kakum (Aunt Jaime & Uncle Kyle) - THE BEST AUNT & UNCLE! They have helped us out so much. I cannot THANK them enough! Love you two tons!

Me, Aimee & Mady - Boat Ride




Jaime & Ryan getting ready for a boat ride





Kadin dislikes his life jacket - a lot!

Aimee & Mady - getting ready for the boat ride

Rolo Ice Cream Pie

Can you find your true love at 3 1/2 & 2 1/2?

Ice Cream Pie

Dinomite Dinner - Homemade chili, hot dogs & dino corn bread muffins

Birthday Boy Dinner

This past weekend was Darren's birthday. We headed up to our friend's Aimee & Ryan's cabin on Big Lake. This was our second day trip up this summer. We always have a great time, I think it's because the group of people. Getting to the cabin isn't easy, but I enjoy it and of course watching my three guys enjoy it, makes it even better. When you have balance issues such as me, it isn't easy to participate fully. Thankfully, my friends are gracious and always lending a hand to get me in/out of the boat, up/down the stairs, and children wrangling. This time Darren got on the water ski's and the three person inner-tube. It was fun to watch from my seat in the boat. Even if I were 'normal' I don't think I'd be doing that. I'm a big weenie! Halfway through the water adventures, the sun came out and it was so pleasant. We ate good food and I had made a Rolo ice cream cake to share for Darren's birthday. We had fun chatting, laughing, and teasing each other. Such great friends!

I noticed three things this weekend that I count as signs of continued healing:

I ate two loaded burritos at dinner and didn't take much longer than the others eating.

I can drink out of a wide mouth Nalgene bottle without choking.

I don't remember the last time I woke up in the middle of the night, struggling to breathe.

Wow! When I think back, I can definitely see all God's handiwork! Thank you Lord for your faithfulness!

Yesterday, even though Darren's birthday had passed, I still made the birthday dinner he requested: homemade chili, hot dogs, and corn bread. I of course had to put a spin on the corn bread by baking it in my dinosaur pan. I also made an ice cream pie that mimicked his favorite Coldstone creation, strawberry blonde. Overall, it was a great weekend. I hope Darren enjoyed his birthday. I remember asking him right after I came home from the hospital, what he wanted for my recovery and among the list was to do fun things as a family like others do. I would say that based on that, this weekend was a success!

Blessings.