Hailey's First Sailing Trip

We were elated when a friend from our branch invited Earl and Hailey to go out on his sailing boat on Friday. Hailey had not ever been on a boat before and since we now own one (it's in the shop right now) we thought that this would be a good start for Hailey to get used to the water. Hailey needs to get used to the water so that she can have fun when we go out on our faster boat later in the summer. Earl is looking for a really tiny life jacket for the new baby, but I say that if they don't make them then that is a really good reason not to take the new baby out on the boat until at least next year! Brother Roberson took Earl and Hailey out on Barnegat Bay near our house. They had a short little trip, but had tons of fun. Hailey was afraid at first, but settled in pretty quickly.

The Sesame Place

The Sesame Place is a Sesame Street themed theme park just north of Philadelphia, PA. We were blessed to get free tickets from a great children's charity called Variety. We went as a family and had so much fun. It was a really hot day. The kids got to see an Elmo Live and rode tons of fun rides. Dylan's chair even went on the carousel!

Fun at the beach...in April???

The weather in New Jersey is a mystery to me. We had a very cold winter with tons of nasty cold and icy days...and now we are having a heat wave! It is April 28th and the weather has been between 85 and 90 degrees for the last few days. Hailey and I decided to go to the Banegat Bay this afternoon and enjoy the nice weather. It was so beautiful!

Cape May Zoo

We had a fun family day at the Cape May Zoo. We saw tons of animals and the weather was beautiful and as warm as it had been so far this year. Also, it was totoally free! You can't beat that.

Hailey's Beauty Salon

Hailey has recently found her favorite thing to do is to fix Earl's hair in crazy styles. He is so patient and sweet he tolerates her "styling" and hardly complains...unless she gets the hair spray in his eyes...what a great step dad!

Sweetest Kids Ever

Dylan and Hailey have always been really close. They are just short of being 11 months apart in age and have always been so sweet together. I loved to watch Dylan when he was small take care of Hailey. He even filled her crib with toys when she was about 6 month old one Saturday morning when I slept in (thinking that the kids were still sleeping too).

After Dylan's injury Hailey has taken on the role of caregiver to Dylan. She helps me give him his medicine, comforts him when he cries, and loves to push him in his wheelchair. Recently I found Hailey curled up in Dylan's bed trying to comfort him when he woke up crying in the middle of the night. I will miss these days when they are bigger!

Dameon's Gift of Life

April is National Organ Donation Month and we are remembering our little boy Dameon who passed away at the age of 5. He was killed in a car crash on January 18th, 2006. We think of him every day and remember what an amazing and spunky person he was. Dameon's kidneys were donated to an amazing person who we have been blessed to be able to meet and grow to love. His donation changed her life. The Marietta Daily Journal wrote an article about our story recently.

The link is: http://www.mdjonline.com/content/index/showcontentitem/area/3/section/18/item/131806.html


Sometimes I still tear up when I say Dameon's name, but time has helped me heal. He will always be missed, but I chuckle to think of the way my Dad is watching over him in the spirit world. He really made Daddy crazy...

Take a moment to contemplate your organ donation status. I have become a donor myself the more educated that I have become on the subject. People die every day on the list waiting for organs. These people could be saved and contribute to our world like Dameon's recipient has.