HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!

Today is the official day, Jason is now in his thirties. This is a big deal to him because he is the last one in his group to turn 31 and he for the longest time was eating it up he was not IN his thirties he was only thirty. Pretty silly if you ask me, but apparently it kept him young or something:)

Anyways this last Saturday I had planned a surprise party for him. It was a great success. We had people show up we hadn't seen in a long time and people who came from near and far. It started off a little slow, but as the night progressed we all had a fantastic time. Thank you to those of you who came to help celebrate. I wanted to have a surprise party last year for the big 3-0, but since we were in the hospital, that obviously was the last thing on my mind. So I wanted to make it up to him. I just wish I'd of taken some better pictures. About half way through the night I realized I hadn't taken any. Me, the mommy who never goes anywhere without my camera...it was on the counter the whole time...I was more interested in socializing!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY,

WE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!!!

XOXOXO

Piggies and Smiles....

I cannot believe I did not post this sooner...I think the title says it all!! What 2 month old baby do you know can sport piggies??? My girls were blessed with a full head of hair, what can I say, Daddy and I produce well together:)

New Friends and lots of 1st...

This is Gracie and Kinsley's new little friend Reese. Her little sister, Brenlee, was just like Gabi and is one of Gabi's angel buddies. We like to call her family our twin family, it is amazing the similarities 2 families can have. This was the first time the girls got to meet. They instantly became best buds! We hope to get them together again real soon!

So much has happened since I last posted, we have had a lot of 1st with Miss Kaddy! As you can see from the picture above she got her 1st haircut this last Sunday. It started off ok, she was asleep, but that didn't last long. That ok though all I really wanted to accomplish was to trim the back, it is now full and fluffy...kind of:)

And then the 2 above were just cute, I cannot believe how much personality and spunk this little one has. Boy are we in for a treat as she gets older. I do have some exciting news, the last 2 nights she has slept through the night. Bedtime is no later than 10pm and she has not been awake before 6:30am. It has been so nice finally getting some real rest. Ok so I have to admit I am not positive she is sleeping the entire time. I have been turning down the monitor (I can still hear her though if she throws a total fit). But overall no problems and she is doing great with it. I am so proud of my baby girl!

Now is the most adventurous thing Miss Kaddy has done since birth...she went out on "Uncle" Aaron's boat. She loved it! Daddy held her up and let the wind flow through her hair, she did not squawk once. We did buy her a life jacket and it was huge, but it was infant size, I think that speedo has no clue the size of a real infant, it probably would of fit Gracie.

And now the best for last...I do believe on that boat ride we had a special little guest, check out those Gabi rays!!!

FDFDS Golf Tournament

Well I figured since the FDFDS Golf Tournament is more of what I focus on and Micah focuses more on the Buddy Walk then I should put this entry in!

We would first like to thank Brian Lantis and MarLan Construction for sponsoring a hole in Gabi's memory. This is the second year in a row that we were the only people to have an individual sponsored on a hole, so we were pretty excited about that again.

We did not do all that great playing but we had a great time. My older brother Fred Acker Jr. played on the team. He's not a very avid golfer but a natural athlete so we used quite a few of his shots. We got more entertainment out of him on the trip home from the group photo...man it was funny. Travis Shuck played who was Freddie's best friend growing up and became one of my best friends too as I got past the annoying little brother phase, which was just a few years ago! haha. Travis is always a good time and yesterday was no different, I love his hat and may have to find one myself. Travis got tired of making fun of Freddie on the way home and fell asleep! Brian Lantis played with us as well, Brian is another childhood friend of ours. Again more Fred and Travis's when we were younger and I'm pretty sure I went back to being Freddie's annoying little brother yesterday with Brian! Now Brian is supposed to be our ringer but since he's been spending more time trying to keep his blood pressure down from coaching little league than golfing, his shots tended to slide a little to the right. One was a beaut though that was only a few feet from taking out the window of his own truck! I played brilliantly of course so no need to add any notes on my playing...haha NOT!

As we have all known each other for several years now it was a really good time. I'm hoping they'll all come back to play again next year, hopefully with some practice! My goal for next year is to raise enough money to sponsor a couple of teams as I have other friends that wanted to play but we were lucky to even have one team this year.

Here are some more pics from our day of Golf!

A Day Fit for a Princess...

Princess Kaddy, ruler of all cuteness!!!

On Wednesday we met Megan and the girls for lunch at Crown Center. Once a month they come to KC for Bella's appointments and it is our thing to meet with them, I gotta see them somehow:) After lunch they headed to CMH and I decided to take Gracie and Kinsley to Kaleidoscope. Now if you have never taken your kids there before, it is a must...best part about it, it is FREE!!! It is part of Hallmark, I believe it is a lot of there scraps. It is a huge room full of arts and crafts. Nothing has instructions, the kids just get to be a creative as they want. Parents get to join in on the fun too! I remember going to kaleidoscope as a kid, it was my favorite field trip. Anyways, Gracie made her things and I obviously hooked up Kinsley. We will definitely be going back before the summer is over!

Fireworks, Lilly Pads, and Dumdums

We spent the 4th at Mema and Papa Ackers. We cooked out, the kids played in the pool, then they fished in the pond, and then fireworks. We had a great time, I just love getting together with the family! Then on Sunday, we went to my parents. We played at the pool, then cooked out. It was yet another great time! Here are some pics from the weekend. Kinsley got a new floatie from Mimi and Papi...it's a lilly pad. They got it more for next year, Mimi thought it was too cute and had to get it. But it actually works for her now, oh she is just too cute for words:)

I almost forgot, Kinsley tried a new sweet treat today. It was a Banana dumdum, yep you got it...she had her first sucker and LOVED it!!! She loved it so much she cried when I took it away. So maybe on occasion when she is a good girl I will give her a little sweet treat:)

Gracie enjoyed her dumdum too!!!

7 weeks and a Check up

Kinsley had her 2 month check up today. Can you believe it, it has been almost 2 months...7 weeks to be exact. Everyday is truly a gift! She continues to develop very well. Yesterday she followed every step I made while I was getting cleaned up. I am not sure if it was me or the bright colored night gown, but for about 5 minutes straight she was intrigued. Of course I think it was me, either way I am so proud of my baby girl. She is cooing and smiling a lot more too! Today she weighed in at 9lbs. 11oz. that is almost an entire pound in 1 week. It amazes me how steady she is gaining. With that being said we do not go back for another month, but at that appt. we have to do a series of shots. Jason already said he will not be going to that appt., it breaks his heart knowing she will be in pain and there is nothing he can do. It does the same for me, but I guess being her mommy I will do what I have to do for her and just suck it up:)

I do need to mention...Gracie has been such a wonderful big sister. She is always there to do whatever, whenever. I know she knows how much I appreciate it, but someday she will really understand. Sometimes there are so many things that need to be done and she is always willing to help. She loves snugglin with sissy. Funny thing is she has a way of calming her that not even daddy can do. Of course us girls spend 90% of our day with her, daddy has to work, so our job is Kins! Anyways the bond the girls are developing is so special and I am so thankful that Gracie is the kind hearted little girl she is! I don't know how I got so lucky...I love you monkey!

I have a prayer request...My father in law was diagnosed with prostate cancer almost a year ago. He has undergone treatment and has been doing very well since diagnosed. A couple of days ago he woke up in excrusiating pain and ended up in the hospital for a couple of days. They ran several tests and found that the cancer is pushing on his bladder and is causing the excrusiating pain. We are not sure what the plan of action is at this point, hopefully we get answers on Monday. This has been another Acker battle and we know he can and will beat it, but I didn't figure a few extra prayers would hurt. If your interested check out his blog too!

http://efacker.blogspot.com/

WE LOVE YOU PAPA!!!

Thanks!!! Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe 4th...

Mommy Forgot to Mention...

I cannot believe I did share my exciting news from yesterday in my previous entry, I guess you could say sleep was all I could think about:)

Anyways, Miss Kinsley had few big moments! We were out to lunch with Mema and Papa Acker, she was a little fussy...daddy was trying to calm her down. She has a butterfly that goes up and down on her car seat, her eyes REALLY FOLLOWED IT!!! I about jumped onto the table and announced it to everyone. It was such a good moment for all of us to witness.
Once we got home I was changing her diaper...I ran out of the newborn size, so I grabbed size 1, THEY FIT!!! I cannot believe in a month and a half we are able to go to bigger girl diapers. At the end of the night Gracie and I gave her a bath. For the first time I let Gracie and her take a bath together. Gracie is such a great big sis, she held her and I washed her. She absolutely loved being in the tub. She was smiling quite a bit. I actually caught a smile on the camera, but they are in the tub and well you can see other things and I am not about to post those pics.

It is so hard to think to myself that this is the way it is suppose to be, so maybe for many of you you are thinking why is she so excited about these minor things. Well for me because we had such issue with Gabi's weight and everything happened at a slower pace, I am in shock of how quickly things are happening for Kinsley. The only thing that would of made my day better was if Gabi was here to watch these things happen with her little sister. So I guess that take me to my next thought...cherish every moment, big or small, with your children!!! I know I have said it many times before, but it just amazes me on how many people take their children for granted. You always think you will go before your children, but God makes that decision and if it can happen to us, obviously it can happen to anyone. When Gabi received her wings there was not a doubt in my mind she could feel our presence and love. She meant the world to us then and continue to mean the world to us now.

Give hugs and kisses to your babies, and please remember Gabi:)

Little Miss Piggy...

Thank you everyone for your comments about Kinsley and the reflux. I am glad to let you all know that is not the issue. She is over eating which is causing her to spit up more than normal. She is gaining weight like crazy so our doc said there is no way it is reflux...YIPEE!!! When I took her in last week she had gained 7 oz. in 5 days. He was quit impressed with that amount of weight gain, we were too! We never knew that was even possible considering it took Gabi forever to even gain 1 oz. And her eye is starting to clear up, I had been massaging the wrong area, so doc showed me the proper spot and it seems to be doing the trick. So here are her stats as of Thursday...8lbs 15oz and 21 1/2 in. long. She has grow 3 inches in 3 weeks...wow, she definitely does not get that from her mommy. We go back in on this Thursday for another weight check. I love our pediatrician, he sure knows how to make me feel comfy given our past experience.

I have taken a ton of pics this last week, she is just so stinkin cute I cannot help it! Some may call me obsessed, but hey I just love my babies! The second pic look close she has a flower behind her ear. And check out that last one, YES that is a ponytail:)

HAPPY MONDAY...

One Year Ago...

It is so hard to believe that a year ago today I was spending the last night I would ever have with my precious Gabi at home. She brought more joy to our lives than I ever imagined was possible in such a short amount of time. She taught us of the true meaning of life. She taught us on how to stay focused on things with real value in life and how to give. She taught to not take one single moment for granted, live each day as if it were your last. And most importantly she taught us what the Ultimate Gift of life is...to love and be loved, unconditionally!

I remember actually being happy that tomorrow was our big day, surgery, the day that would fix her, the day that was suppose to be the best thing for her. Often we wonder if we did the right thing, if the doctors did everything they could, if God did what he could. But I guess ultimately God did what he could and he knew Gabi was special and she had a higher calling than to be here with us. Unfortunately though it was at the expense of our hearts. We are so proud to have been the Chosen Ones for her, God knew that with the time she did spend here with us we were the best parents for her. We are so blessed to have been touch by an angel!

It has been a while since I have had an entry all about Gabi and I apologize to you all and to her. I have been so focused on trying to be the best mommy to Kinsley and Gracie. I had a very hard time in the beginning of my pregnancy connecting with Kinsley, I was so afraid of losing her. But now that she is here, words cannot describe how much I love and adore her. She is the perfect piece to my broken heart. Don't get me wrong my heart will forever be incomplete, but having her has given me another reason of why it is so important to continue on as if Gabi were here with us. I believe Gabi made a deal with God that the only way she would go with him is if he gave mommy and daddy another baby girl to love on...and of course he pulled through:) God works in such mysterious ways I will never understand why it had to be Gabi, but I am so thankful he chose us for her mission here.

I miss my little punky more than you can ever imagine, there is not a second of the day I do not think about her. I sometimes wish we would of done things differently, but if I concentrate on that I would never make it through a single day. She will forever live in our hearts and someday we will be together again!

I love you Gabriele Sheridan! Mommy, Daddy, and your sisters miss you soooo much! Be a good girl and be sure to rock the piggies today and tomorrow, afterall that is your signature do:)