5.29

{wanna play}

The Difference a Year Makes

Today. 

Today I pray the sky will be a bit clearer. 

Today I will drive a different route for our familiar afternoon chase.  My small attempt to shake the overwhemling feelings of the last May 25th.  There are reminders in the smell of the air, the buds on the trees, and the songs on the radio. 

Everywhere.

While it would be easy to dwell on those fears, that confusion, and oh, the helplessness...

The reality is our forecast is more promising.  There are some new and amazing sites along this path we forge. There are everyday miracles.  There are odds to defy. There is HOPE, no matter what.

There is this beautiful baby boy.

Who Loves You?

Confused from Katie on Vimeo.
{adamant}

Sorry I don't know how to flip the orientation, and it is pretty dark, I guess I am confused too;)  Still wanted to share the funny!

5.21

{8 Months Old}

Oh, The Cute!

Two of our incredibly crafty friends have contributed hand made lovelies to Gabe's Great Escape giveaways.  Connie, from Hairbow-Tique has put together a fantastically girly hair bow holder and five unique bows to be given as prizes at the event.

Kate, from Bloem and Grow, has been busy putting together frames to hold the prize certificates that will be given to each of the Great Escape winners.  It may have turned in to a bigger project than she imagined at first as we continue to add great new getaways to the list!

We are so thankful to these friends for adding their creative touch to the event!

Contagious

Untitled from Katie on Vimeo.
{someone has the giggles}

7, 8, 9!

I can't believe that our little guy is days away from being 8 months old!  You would think by now, after 4 kids, I would have figured out how to slow time down a bit.  No luck! 

Anyway, how is your luck?  There is still plenty of time to enter the Great Gabe Escape giveaways.  While we are close to maxing out the capacity at Into the Woods with the RSVPs we have collected so far, there is always room for more tickets in the drawing and you need not be present to win. 

Here are the two (actually 3) more examples of of the getaways you could be entered to win.

 {there are 2 of these to be given}

{this is also the lovely venue for the dinner portion of our event}

Lucky or not, we are crazy blessed...

...by our friends who have organized this event

...by the generous sponsors who have provided the giveaways

...by the many family members and friends who have already made donations in support of Gabe's therapy efforts!

5.16

{yum...sweet potatoes}

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

With the schedule the "big" kids are keeping, Mr. Gabe is going to be no stranger to the T-Ball bleachers for the next two months.   We sure hope he loves the outdoor air, sunshine, and cheering.

He is hoping that someone else will also enjoy a ball game with this Great Gabe Escape giveaway package!

5.13

{our newest dutch boy}

{with his favorite dancing partners}

Sleepover Options

 {photo credit: The Shack}

{photo credit: vrbo}

These are two more of the amazing getaways included in The Great Gabe Escape giveaway!

Spina Bifida Redefined

There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in. ~Leonard Cohen

18 Holes

{2 More Great Escape Giveaways}

Eye, Eye, Ice Cream

This morning Gabe had his first appointment with a pediatric opthamologist.  After his recent evaluation with Early On there was some concern that perhaps he had a vision problem.  This momma is pretty sure it was more about wanting the big, noisy, colorful toy than the small pieces of rice. Anyway...they wanted to rule out a vision difficulty before moving forward with occupational therapy.

I am all about ruling out obstacles for Gabe so today we saw the specialist.  What is amazing is that in a short amount of time they are able to get very specific information about his optic nerves, eye muscle strength, and vision.  Since he is still dealing with cerebral spinal fluid in his ventricles there is a chance the extra pressure could damage the nerves and muscles.  However, at this point we were thrilled to hear that Gabe's eyes checked out perfectly.  This is one specialist we will not need to see again for a year.  Yay!

In celebration, we thought we should share a sneak peek at just one of the many Great Gabe Escape packages available to win in our upcoming fundraising giveaway!  Over the next few weeks we will look forward to previewing the rest of them for you as well.

The Great Gabe Escape

We are so excited  to begin sharing, with all of our loyal Gabe supporters, a creative idea our friends have put into motion.  Dan and Amanda Kapenga, are going to be hosting a benefit event for our little man at Into the Woods Retreat!  "The Great Gabe Escape" will include a lovely meal, photography sessions for guests, and the chance to win one of several great getaways.  We will be giving away overnight stays to local hotels, a weekend at a Lake Michigan cottage, a weekend at a cozy Up North cabin, and a private tour of Hudsonville Ice Cream ending with a year's worth of ice cream! All of the escapes have been generously donated in Gabe's honor. 

We are blown away.  Humbled.  Totally excited about what's to come! 

More specific details are available.  Even if you are not able to attend in person on the 1st, there are opportunities for you to be involved.  Leave us a note here with your contact details and we will send you the information if you are interested.