Kentucky Christmas: Nice Memories

Kenny, Gideon, Maia, and I travelled to Kentucky the Eve of Christmas Eve to spend some very much needed quality time with both the Sutherland and Gerdis families, as well as many good friends. We spent nine days in Good Ol' Kentucky and we sure were blessed by so many of you and just catching up with you.

We started our Christmas festivities over at the Sutherland Clan on Christmas Day and then had our Gerdis Christmas the next day. Kenny and I just felt the busy-ness of our lives just melt away and the warmth of family fill our hearts.

The following days we were able to get together with the Paulson Family (unfortunately we forgot our camera that night), Abby, Joel Nussbaum, The Tenney's (to celebrate Heather's birthday), the Henson's to celebrate the New Year's with dinner, a play, dancing, and just pure fun. The last night we spent over at Joel and Toby's and finally got to see my niece, Kaya. I have only seen her one other time and it was so good to hold her in my arms. We had a treat and Julia and Gina were also able to come!

Here is a very long slide show of our time there. You can click on the slide show and go to the pictures uploaded on my web album on Picasa.

WE love you all and had a wonderful Christmas time!

Happy Birthday, Meaghan!

My, sister-in-law, Meaghan is celebrating her birthday today!
She has been part of the Sutherland Clan now for five glorious years!
Hard to believe the years have flown by that quickly?!?

Happy Birthday, Sis!

Hope it is a Wonderful, Glorious Day and Here is to A Fabulous New Year!

John Mayer's - I'll be Home for Christmas

Gideon and I have been singing to this version of the song "I'll be Home for Christmas" for days. It is my new favorite version of this song! I absolutely love it and I dedicate this to all my family and friends in Kentucky whom we shall see in a few short days! Love you all!

Editting and Additions

I wanted to edit a few of the pics from earlier today and add a few from that were taken inside our apartment. Enjoy!

Blizzard 09'

We had so much fun in the after affects of the Blizzard of 09'. I don't know about Kenny though! Sorry Daddy!

Sick Day

I don't feel well! Help me momma, help, help me momma!

Here comes brother to the rescue!

I didn't ask for you, Gid-gid!

Well, I guess I can tolerate it for now! Hmmp!

Are bunny ears what the doc prescribed?

Maybe not, for little sis, but I like em'!

What a Wonderful Celebration!

What a wonderful celebration it was this past Sunday! The last 365 days plus have been an amazing journey and so many of you were there right beside us, lifting Maia up in prayer to our Lord and supporting us in so many ways. We had a time of worship and praise to our Heavenly Father for his healing touch upon Maia and how he has used her for His glory already in her young life.

We are so very busy, but I wanted to get this up for you. You can also link to the web album at the link below.

God Bless!

http://picasaweb.google.com/tdsuth02/MaiaSBirthday#

25th Anniversary of Baby Fae

This video popped up on my home screen today at school and I just had to post this immediately.

Baby Fae was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome 25 years ago. At that time HLHS was a death sentence and there wasn't a baby born that survived. Her doctor did an experimental procedure and transplanted a baboon's heart into her little body. At the time, this caused much an ado concerning animal rights and medical ethics.

I am so humbled and inspired by the medical advancements that have been made since little Fae's birth. Thank you, Lord, for your intellectual imparting to these researchers and doctors since that time! Thank you, that Maia's doctors knew exactly what to do for her little heart last year, this very week!

Below is a trailer for a movie of Stephanie "Fae" that will be coming out.

What a Month!

Okay, Okay! Can you tell it has been a very hectic first month of school for me??? Between Kenny's new ministerial responsibilities and my teacher responsibilities we pretty much look at each other across the room in the evenings, give a knowing nod to each other, and hit the hay way much earlier than we have at any time this past year! Whew!

Oh, what? I didn't tell you what Kenny is doing now at church? If I didn't tell you, it wasn't intentional. Kenny is now the official men's minister at our church in Lakewood, NJ. It is a volunteer position and he still works his full-time job. He is loving his new minsitry and the Lord has given him such a gift of teaching! I am so very proud of him!

With ministerial position comes more expectations and responsibility however. It is a good thing and we know that God is in it, but he also needs to be at church for different functions about three nights a week. Add that to my Bible study I am taking and my teaching responsbilities and it adds up to quite a sum of "busy"ness. I am hoping things start balancing out a bit more.

Gideon is loving Kindergarten and is learning his numbers and letter sounds quite proficiently. Of course his favorite part of kindergarten right now is prize day. Every four days a student does not get his frog moved to the orange lily pad of poor behavior he gets a prize. Gideon is beyond "giddy" on those mornings of the prize-pick-out!

Maia is jabbering away, speed crawling, pulling up, and giving those great big smiles I love her for! I can't wait to celebrate her 1 year bday at the end of this month. I want to go back to CHOP and to the Ronald McDonald House to show our gratefulness for they did for Maia and our Family.

Well, busy-ness or not, we love you all and miss you dearly!

10 months old!

Ten months ago

A little girl with a tiny heart was born, but....

Many were praying for her and God heard and said, "Yes"!

Slowly but surely He is revealing this healing to us, day by day!


And she is a testament to so many of His unfailing power!




She is Maia.

Which means "Close to God" in Hebrew.

Her middle name means...

His promise, His oath, or Consecrated one!

May her life always be used by Him for His Glory!!!!


In Honor of Maia's celebration of Life,

The following is a video link about CHDs and a few of my

blog friend's children are featured.

Get out the tissue!

Please click on the following:


http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=919536ae53bca5144f3877&skin_id=601&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

West Virginia, Mountain Momma!

I will post more later about our trip, but for now enjoy a little slide show. If you want to see the pics individually OR see a few of them that are actual video clips, left click on the slideshow and it will take you to the web album. It was a great time! Thank you Gunnoe Family for opening up your home to us!

A Much Delayed Post

Sorry it has been awhile since I posted AND it just dawned on me today that I still hadn't posted Gideon's bday picture on my blog so here are a few. It was a great day of fun and laughter with our now 5 year old son!

Egg Race.

Opening the presents.

Our Cousin Kim with Maia.

Sorry there aren't any more pics. It was a busy day and even though I love documenting our days with the camera, I just didn't have the time to pic up the camera like I wanted.

On other news, while all my KY friends were saying good-bye to their kids for their first day of school this morning, I still have about three more weeks till Gideon has his first day. It is nice to know there is still a bit more summer left for the Sutherlands.

My mom is now done with all her chemo and radiation treatments and now it is time to just focus on healing. Part of that healing will be to see her grandkids and daughter next week!!!! We are so excited to meet up with my parents and the Gunnoes at their cabin in West Virginia. It is the halfway point between NJ and KY...exactly!n What a nice trip that will be! We are so looking forward to that time! Maia has grown so much since our visit in April and I cannot wait to carefully hug my mom and give a great big hug to my dad since his full recovery from a recent stroke! God is good!

Bye-bye Brenna!

We are sad to say good-bye to our niece, Brenna. We have enjoyed her presence for the past three weeks. It has been a wonderful time of 10 year old fun, loving on cousins, and being beach bums at the "shore".

Here are some photos of the past week or so. It has been a blessed time and we wanted to share.

Bronx Zoo

Bronx Zoo

Click on the picture above and it will LINK you to a web album of our day. Choose the slideshow on the web album page to see a nice little clip of all the pics!

We had a great day at the Bronx Zoo with our Niece Brenna today! What a gorgeous zoo! It was full of wonderful exhibits that I could tell the animals really enjoyed and it was just a massive zoo with plenty of shade for the zoo-goers! It is definitely everything I have heard about this zoo and much, much more!

It cost a pretty penny to get in to the zoo. The four of us cost $108, but we could have just adde d$42 more and got a family pass for the whole year to all five NYC zoo locations and the aquarium. It was tempting, but we had to pass for this year.

The kids are all tuckered out and fell asleep as soon as the car got on the highway back to Jersey, but it was definitely a good tired!

A Video from PreK Promotion

Okay! I don't have sound to this but you gotta watch it just for the facial gestures that Gideon makes! In no way could he be related to me! LOL! I was the mundane kid for school performances...NOT! I guess the apple don't fall too far from the tree!