gallery of photos

visit with Uncle Ron in San Francisco...the girls love him so much!

visiting the sea lions at Pier 39

our little monkeys...

peeping monkey #1...

peeping monkey #2

the kids didn't sleep at all...this was 5:00 in the morning!

We came home and enjoyed the afternoon on Memorial Day, bike riding with the girls!!  Matt fixed Nora's pedals so that she can actually reach them, so this was the first time she actually rode by herself!

Lila always tries to run me down while she is riding, hence the big smile :-)

I hope you have enjoyed these photos!  We have a busy week ahead, as we have decided to go to LA for another intensive physical therapy program, and are leaving on Friday!!!   AAAHHHH!  We are all very excited for Lila, and know that she will come home focusing on taking independent steps.  We will continue to work hard with her at home so that she can continue the skills that she will have gained.  Wish us luck!!!!

Happy June to you all!!!!!

Lila turned 6!!!

I am a bit behind with this post, however on May 16th, our first born little girl turned 6 years old!  It is amazing how far she has come in this last year, and she couldn't have done it without all of your support!

We began the morning at physical therapy, where Lesley decorated the cage with balloons...Lila had a smile on her face from ear to ear :-)  She ended her session working very hard as she tried to walk up this ramp with her canes.  Super hard for her, but she did it multiple times!

We then went to school where she got to wear a crown all day long, and everyone said happy birthday to her.  I brought brownies to school for the kids, and she happily enjoyed 2 or 3 of them. She had more sugar in that one day than she does in a month!

Lila has become a little hair dresser!

After school she was exhausted, so we took a nap and awoke to present time!  As she was opening a few gifts, the doorbell rang and it was a though Santa Claus had sent the UPS man to our house...there were three large packages for her to open as well.  She was so excited, and there were gifts everywhere!  Funny that when you turn 6, the pieces in the toys get much much smaller.  Nora finds it fun to throw them all over the house (and not pick them up, of course), so I am having to put them all in Lila's room.   Which means that Lila has been spending more time playing in her room...yay!

Anyway, it was a very fun day for her, ending in a song and a cupcake after dinner.  We love her so much and are so thankful for her in our lives!

So much has happened over the past two weeks...

Holy cow has it ever been a busy two weeks!  I may have to stretch this into a few posts, so keep checking back over the next couple of days for all of the latest great info from Lila's world :-)

To begin, two weeks ago Lila was nominated to receive an award for being knowledgeable.  Lila does not do well in large crowds, gets very overwhelmed very quickly, and does not know how to handle it when she feels uncomfortable.  I asked her if she would like to go back to school (the ceremony was at 1:45 p.m. and she naps in the afternoons), and explained what an "awards ceremony" means.  I had to address the noise that would be part of the assembly, and that when they were cheering loudly, as she walked up to the stage, it was because she is so smart and they are all so proud of her.  I also said that it would be great if she cheered for the other kids, as they are getting awards for being knowledgeable as well.  So, after all of this talk, she really wanted to attend.  Off we went, she asked lots of questions in the car, but was excited so long as she didn't have to sing (the last assembly was with the school chorus/choir, so she wanted to make it very well known that she did not want to sing :-)...hahah!

We arrived an waited for all of the kids to file in.  As they all got settled, the chorus teacher taught them all a school cheer to do during the assembly....(two claps)...HUFFAKER...(two claps)....ROCKSTARS!  After going through the cheer a few times, they began to call the names of the award winners.

Lila was the first one to be called, and as she was walking up there in her walker, the entire cafeteria started chanting....(two claps)....LILA....(two claps)....ROCKSTAR!  Yes, I was trying to film her and balling at the same time.  What a proud moment for Lila, and us as well.  Not only was she smiling throughout the entire assembly, but she was happily cheering for the other kids and had a blast!  She didn't nap that day and did amazingly well!  We are so proud of her and excited for her to have met this "milestone".  We love her so much and know that this assembly/award has given her even more confidence in herself, and the acceptance of her by her peers :-)  We absolutely love the school that she attends, as well as the staff...thank you for including her!!!

Come join us for a fun morning of celebrating Lila's 6th birthday at the annual dodgeball tournament!  We will be playing ball, holding a spare change drive, hosting a silent auction, selling purses and necklaces!  Lots of ways to support Lila in one place :-)

Food and drinks will be provided for all, as well as pizza slices from Papa Johns.  We hope you all will join us in supporting Lila and passing on the word to your friends and families!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LILA!!!!  Here's to another year of much progress and change!

I have been waiting to capture this....

Lila has been working on this skill since we returned from Louisiana in January. We are so proud of her for catching on so quickly, and working so hard to make it happen! It has only been 8 months since having the stem cell treatment, and attending two intensive physical therapy programs.  Some days we get frustrated with her slow progression, and then I take a step back and realize that it has only been 8 months...she has come a long way in 8 months!  Life is good :-)  Check it out...

Oh my gosh!  Every time I watch it I can't believe it!  When I picked Lila up from school today, her teacher told me that she stood up independently 4 times today!  She tried many other times and was not successful, however four times is great!  This is a skill that she can use to learn to stand up and take independent steps to get around. SO EXCITING!  Glad I could share it with you all :-) (I hope you all can overlook the messy house :-)

Art for a fresh start

What an amazing weekend!  We had our art fundraiser this past weekend, thanks to Eileen Fuller, and it was a huge success!  

Shauna, Eileen's friend, bought a few pieces to support Lila, including my favorite purse...thanks Shauna!

This wall of art is 50% donation to Lila

This wall of art was all 100% donation to Lila

First off, the generosity of all of the local artists was overwhelming.  The walls were filled with artwork from watercolors (Eileen's amazing work), to oil paintings, photography, and even some jewelry!  Many pieces sold, along with a bunch of sea glass necklaces and handmade purses.  Justine, JKH photography and Recycle Me Lovely, sold many recycled hair accessories, rings and earrings, as well as a few photography packages (if anyone is interested in family photos, Justine is amazing!).  So

all of our sales combined raised $1337 for Lila's treatments/therapies...WOW!  This is more than Matt and I could have ever imagined!  Not to mention that the art will be up at Jolt-n-Java for the rest of the month, and any other sales go directly to Lila.  We still hope for more sales, so stop by, grab a cup of coffee, and check out the amazing local artwork.

As for purses, I have four left...the two red/orange/blue circle ones, the Spring flowered one with the blue top, and the beige one with the circles on the top.  So, if anyone is interested in a unique Mother's Day gift, give me a call!!!!!

Purse making season is back

Due to our art show this coming Saturday, I am back to purse making.  I am excited because it is always fun to work with Spring fabrics.  I have tried to choose the most Spring-like fabrics from my shelves, and hope they make you all smile as they do me :-)

If there is a purse that you see here and have fallen in love with, drop me a note and I will see if I have more of the fabric.  If I do, I would be happy to make YOU one too :-)

Hope to see you all this coming Saturday morning at Jolt-n-Java in Sparks (corner of Los Altos and Vista)...9 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Purses, sea glass necklaces, 12 x 16 framed photos of Tahoe and the local region, watercolor pieces (original and prints), handmade recycled accessories, photography, and more.  There will also be a raffle with Skagen watches, a massage gift certificate, Park Lane jewelry, Great Basin Brewery gift certificate and more!