AHA Nashville Heart Walk 2013

On Saturday, October 12th, Team Little Heart Heroes showed up at the American Heart Association Heart Walk in full force!  We had around 70 people walking with us to show their support for Nadia, Cain, and Colby.  

Thank you to everyone who came out and walked with us.  The Heart Walk is a very special day for our family.  It is a day to honor Colby and his heart.  It is a day to reflect on all that he's been through in his short life.  It is a day to celebrate how well he is doing, despite living with only half of a heart.  It is a day to celebrate with other heart survivors, young and old.  It is a day to remember all of those that lost their battles with heart disease way too soon.  It is a day to pray that the funds donated to the walk will be used for heart research that will make some huge advancements in the treatments of heart disease.  The Heart Walk is definitely a special and fun day, and we truly appreciate you taking time out of your Saturday to join us.  

Each year, we are blown away by the generosity of friends, family, and acquaintances, and this year was no different!  An amazing $4,220 was donated in honor of Colby!  This, along with the donations made in honor of Nadia and Cain, brought Team Little Heart Heroes donation total to $8,475!!!!  We are humbled by your continued support of Colby and our family, and we thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts! 

We also want to thank Ryan and Shelly Calonge with Richards and Southern for printing our Little Heart Heroes shirts again this year.  They looked great!  We really appreciate the Calonges and their friendship!

Fall Break 2013

We spent the boys' Fall Break this year back at our favorite vacation spot!  Instead of staying in Rosemary Beach like we did in July, though, we stayed right next door in Seacrest Beach.  Everything about this trip was amazing...our condo with a beautiful ocean view, the weather, the beach, and most of all, the great family time!

It was a fun week of relaxing, playing on the beach, eating at our favorite restaurants, eating frozen yogurt from Orange Leaf, getting donuts from the Donut Truck, and riding bikes.  This was Colby's first time to actually ride his bike long distances, and he did awesome! 

We saw lots of people we know while we were there.  In fact, some of our really good friends, the Smiths and Rowells, were staying in the same area, and we were able to hang out with them every day on the beach. The boys loved having so many friends to play with in the sand and ocean.  

Muffins with Mom

Colby's school had their annual Muffins with Mom this morning.  I loved being there with him and seeing all of his friends.  It is times like these that I will always cherish!

Sign Club

The Sign Club Co is a non profit organization dedicated to teaching children and the community sign language.  The director, Poppy Steele, is an amazing woman with an inspiring passion.  Her vision is to create a world where Deaf children can live freely, without barriers.  

Brody has gotten the opportunity to join the sign club this year at Merrol Hyde, and he has absolutely loved it so far!  Poppy has clubs in several schools throughout Sumner County, and recently, many of these club members came together to perform signing the National Anthem at the Hendersonville Public Library.  They did great!  I am so proud that Brody is showing such an interest in sign language. 

Fall Soccer Begins

Brody had his first soccer game of the Fall Season on Saturday. He has a great group of boys on his team, and they are lucky to have the same coach he has had the last 2 seasons.  Coach Donnie is amazing with the kids and really teaches them foot skills and about the game of soccer.  The boys played great and got their first win!

This year, instead of having their own names on their jerseys, Coach Donnie suggested that the boys pick a professional soccer player's name to put on their jersey. He has been telling them each about their player at practice and encouraging them to watch their pro play.  We have all had fun watching highlight videos of the different pros that these boys picked: Messi, Ronaldo, Dempsey, Donovan, Bradley, Robbie Keane, and of course Kaka (Brody!).  Brody has declared that he wants to be ranked one of the best soccer players in the world one day...just like these guys.

Colby's 5 year well visit

Colby had his 5 year well visit with Dr. Hudson on Wednesday, September 4th.  We are so happy to report that he is looking and doing great!  Colby always amazes me with his enthusiasm at doctor's appointments.  This kid loves his doctors, and he loves going in for check-ups.

Colby did great with his eye exam and hearing test, and he thankfully passed both!  His weight and height look good too.  He weighed in at 32 pounds, which is a 4 pound weight gain since last year.  He even moved up a little on the weight growth chart!  His height is up 3 inches since last year to 38 inches tall!  This doesn't get him on the growth chart for height, but he is still maintaining his own little curve.  As long as he's growing, we are happy!