A Stress Free Day

Spending the day away is so  refreshing! It always cures the blues and washes the stress away. (OK...who am I kidding...we have kids, it is  loud and crazy and we run in a million directions...but heart warming all the same!) We spent yesterday as a family....All together for the day. We took our annual trip to Linn Run State park. It's so beautiful there! Here are the highlights (IE: my excuse to show off the kids some more)

Could this kid get any cuter? Seriously Love her. He facial expressions are so adorable!

And this kid...could he get any sweeter? I love his hugs and kisses. And I love that he is now reaching up to give hugs and kisses to me!

My brave explorer.....off to explore the "ruins" in the forest. 

This smile...melts my heart. the belly laughs...LOVE THEM! 

Another tender moment caught on film. loving his daddy and fighting his sister for the "love"

Oh that look....She knew she was in trouble for setting in the water for the millionth time AFTER her clothes were changed. LOL The look of shame is evident. 

Picnicking with the family!

My big babies! Aren't they so beautiful. :) The first year we came to Linn Run Brother Baer was only 2. We have come every year for the past 6 years. It's a tradition now. 

Throwing rocks into the water. 

One at a Time

The Starfish Story

adapted from The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley 

 Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up. As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean. He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?" The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean." "I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man. To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die." Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!" At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "I made a difference to that one!"

This story is the foundation of how we can change the world. One person, One Heart, One child, One starfish at a time! As a Mended Little Hearts leader I am constantly reminded that one person, helping one person at a time is how it's done! So, next time you think you can't possibly make a difference, you can't possibly change the world. Remember this story and remember that you made a difference...."With That One" and "That One" 

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world, in fact it is the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead

The Ketchup

Ketchup?!

I have been gone from the world of blogger for a month now! YIKES! Who knew it has been that long. Certainly not me. And probably not you. :) I mean....we aren't really that exciting. so I decided to just do one big post in pictures to summarize our life this month. It's been super busy! I can tell you that. So here's the "ketchup"

In the past 30 days we:

Had a huge egg hunt and celebrated Easter in WV!

Over 900 eggs were hid and found (mostly)

Played in the yard and enjoyed spinning with Sissy!

Mama Baer and Papa Baer flew to Dallas (Thankfully not the whole trip on the little prop plane!) for Mended Little Hearts Leadership Training

Had a great week in Dallas! 

Made some kickin' Buffalo Chicken Pizza!

Had a flood in the yard (and basement!)

                                      

Spent the day at the Zoo with friends!

Spent the day at Idlewild Park! (Loving the Ball pit!)

Giddy up Cowboy!

 Riding the horse! 

We finger painted!

We wrestled!

And we worked on trying to save a little boy!

We also threw in 3 specialists this past month. Will's ADOS testing was completed. Trenton saw Cranio Facial and Cardiology. Oh and I also am finished up my English Comp class and am happy to report straight A's!!

Why I do what I do

I've been asked a lot Why I do so much for Mended Little Hearts. I've been told that I shouldn't do so much. That i should "cut back" or I shouldn't care so much.

Let me explain why I do:

Today, a lot like a day 3 years ago started off like a normal day. We had a Cardiology check up for Trenton. But, that's a typical event. I always get a little nervous....kind of like the day I had Trenton. I had done it before, but still nervous. Today...I had done it before, but still was nervous.

Well, I got blindsided again. Trenton's heart isn't as "perfect" as it should be. We were told that his sub aortic membrane is progressing. Growing basically. It had been 14mm in September 11, It's 25mm now. If you think of a straw as the valve, this membrane is growing around the inside of that straw, closing off the blood flow as it gets bigger. Right now it's ok. the blood is still flowing through. But, the membrane growing causes Aortic Stenosis (Narrowing of the Aortic Valve) and that causes the heart to work harder, the blood not to flow properly, or a back flow of blood. If/When this membrane grows or progresses to a size of 50mm they will need to remove it. That is an open heart surgery repair. We will check it in 6 months and go from there. NOT something we wanted to hear, or thought we would hear today. Just like that day in March, 3 years ago.

BUT....here's the difference. Not one second did I feel alone. Not one minute did I feel like I was the only person going through this. I didn't wonder why me, or why Trenton. I didn't feel hopeless and helpless. Sad...yes. Scared...yes. But not alone.

That's because I have an amazing family of friends. These friends have all been there, done that, and we have tee shirts too! Lots of them. And I know that we can get through this. We can manage. We can be ok on the other side. That's the difference that Mended Little Hearts makes. We are all this huge family that none of us wanted to be a part of. But, we are all so thankful we are.

This is my goal for every heart family out there. Every parent who has that talk with the dr. I don't want them to feel alone. I want them to know that we have this huge support and we can all be there together, for each other.

That is why I do what I do. That is why my Mended Little Hearts family is so important to me. Why I pour my heart into it. Why I stress myself out and push myself to the limit for free. Because....Somewhere there is a new heart mom being born every 15 mins. And a new heart dad being born every 15 mins. They need us. they need us to not give up. Not stop reaching them.

I'm not a Doctor, or a scientist. I can't cure CHD's. I wish I could, but I can't. I can't save lives. But I can be a friend, a supporter, a family member to our CHD mom's and dad's out there.

Try it Tuesday....Bacon, Ranch Chicken Packs

So, I've been missing, I know. (More on that later!) It's Tuesday!! and I wanted to share my Try it Tuesday for this week. Each week I try to make or create something from Pintrest! Sometimes it turns out awesome....sometimes, not so much. But, I'm happy to report this was a hit!!

I found this link on Pintrest and actually followed directions this time (Mostly). Here is the original link:

http://bestlife4moms.weebly.com/5/post/2012/04/cheesy-broccoli-chicken-foil-packs.html

My recipe:

Bacon, Ranch Chicken Packs

2 Large Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (used 2 and sliced them in half so it would create 4 breasts that were thinner and much more portion friendly)

1 small head of broccoli

3 slices of bacon (Pre cooked)

1 box of Stuffing mix

1 1/2 cup of water

4 tablespoons of Ranch dressing from a bottle

1 cup of Chedder Cheese Shredded

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees. Portion out aluminun foil for each packet (The recipe makes 4) Make sure to leave lots of extra (I used the foil sheets and they weren't big enough. So I needed to make the packet from another one on the top.)

Spray the foil with non stick cooking spray

Mix the box of stuffing mix with a 1 1/2 cups of water and mix well. Then portion out the stuffing into the 4 foil packs. Then place the Chicken breast, crumbled bacon, broccoli, ranch, and chedder cheese on top.

Wrap the foil packets up into a tent like top. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

They were GREAT! And super easy and easy clean up! I served it with Beer Bread fresh from the oven. This one was a score for sure!

A couple thoughts my girlfriend and I have decided: I think it needed more ranch dressing. The 3 strips of bacon seems to be great. (She used 4 and said it was too much!) She added more stuffing to each of hers and put it on the grill!.