Santa Anna!

Anna had a great time going with her friends Ali and Lizzy to see Santa.  They got all gussied up and looked beautiful!  I'm sure they are on Santa's nice list!! 

Anna had another highlight this week.  She said the morning prayer over the loud speaker at school for everyone to hear!  We are so proud of her...she spoke very loud and clear and did a superb job!

We wish all of you a happy and healthy holiday season!  Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Grandparent's Day at school

Just before Anna's school let out for Thanksgiving break, they celebrated Grandparents Day.  What a treat it was for Anna to have our dear friends Scott and A.J. come as "adopted" grandparents!  Thanks guys...we love you!   Anna was also presented with nice cards from Boppa and Meema wintering in Arizona and Memaw Rita in Texas.  It was a delightful day for all and a nice way to kick off the holiday break! 

Anna reads her grandparent's poem to Scott.

Anna shows A.J. her turkey in disguise - Bronco's quarterback Tim Tebow

Anna gets to read her "interview" questions to the class on her teacher's "rock star" microphone!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!!

A couple of days ago, on 11/10/11, I (Jo) turned 1 year old!!  Exactly a year ago I received my stem cell/bone marrow transplant at M.D. Anderson in Houston, TX.  For transplant patients that day becomes your new "birthday".  My donor, my brother Eddie, is my hero as he literally saved my life!  I am doing well but still recovering.  I guess it just takes time.  Maybe I'm learning patience!  I still take medications to make sure Eddie's stem cells and my body don't "fight" too much and to protect me from infections.  As of now my bone marrow is 77% Eddie and the rest something else...I guess me.  The goal is to eventually be 100% Eddie...minus the facial hair!  I guess that will require more patience!  But, what stands out to me is how quickly the past year has gone and how blessed we have all been!!  Thank you Lord!!

Happy Halloween 2011!!

Well, Halloween weekend was great fun.  The snow let up a day or two so I was able to get my Halloween decorations up just in time!

Anna's prize pumpkin from the Big Pumpkin Little Pumpkin Fun Run was finally carved.  It took all of us to get it done with Tim almost loosing a finger (grin).

 We joined our good friends John and Deborah for a delightful costume party.  I haven't worn that much make-up in a loooong time!

And the grand finale of the weekend...Trick or Treating!  Anna dressed as a "Jazzy Cat" wearing last year's jazz dance recital costume and a few extra accessories.  I feel a little guilty about putting false eyelashes on my 6 year old, but she was pretty "jazzed" about it!  Several of our friends come over with their kids, we had a pot-luck dinner and the kids went around the neighbor to collect their loot...what fun!  I will add some group shots later...

Yum-Oh!!

I came across this video that was taken when Anna was about 2 1/2.  Yes, she's our daughter and I'm biased, but I think this is just about the cutest thing I've seen in a looooong time!  Make sure you watch all the way to the end!  Hopefully it will bring a smile to your face too!

Getting Ready for Halloween

Anna got out early from school on Thursday for Fall Break so we ate together at the coffee shop.  She was quite entertained by the outstanding job her mom had done on her "special lunch" and topped it off with a huge pumpkin cookie!

After lunch, Tim met us and we had our first conference with Anna's teacher.  Anna's report card was awesome and the teacher said she was especially good at spelling and math.  Whoohoo!  All our practice at home is paying off!  Anna needs to continue to work on her reading as she is currently at a level 6 and by the end of the school year she should be a level 18!  Wow!  Thanks again to BeLynda and David and the triplets for teaching Anna "Hooked on Phonics" last year...that is really coming in handy now!

Fall break continued with a fun haircut with wash-out color and a barefoot run in the snow that is still left from the last storm.  

My dear friend Carol (who was one of my caregivers during my transplant) came over and we played dress-up.  We sent the picture to our transplant friend "Dancing Annie" to cheer her up as she is going through a second transplant wearing her signature tutu.  Please put her on your prayer list.  Go, Annie, Go!

Fall Break Fun!

Fall Break is starting and Anna will have a few days off school.  To celebrate, I made her school lunch for tomorrow a little special.  Don't ask me what the creature is...I just hope it survives until lunchtime!  (Thanks to "Triplet Mom" BeLynda for the inspiration!)

Trick or Treat! Oh, so sweet!

With Halloween fast approaching there has been much talk about costumes.  No decisions have been made yet!  One thing is for sure, Anna loves to dress up!  Take a look at the fun we've had over the past 6 years!

2005 - Our little Pumpkin!

2006 - Mickey Mouse and Butterfly Fairy Princess

2007 - A Pumpkin and "Quack Quack"

2008 - Cinderella

2009 - Dora The Explorer and Sleeping Beauty

2010 - The Little Mermaid & Star Trek 

2011 - What will she be???  You'll have to wait and see!

In Training...

Anna is on a team of kids that train for triathlons.  She really loves it.  They meet 3 days a week to swim, bike, run and have a ball along the way!  All her coaches are amazing and we are very impressed with what she is learning.  Who knew your foot has a gas pedal and a brake?  

Always warm up properly!

Skipping is great exercise!

God gave me you!!

Thanks to those of you who have followed our journey for the past 7 years through my husband Tim's wonderful writing in my blog.  Now that my health issues are in the "recovery" phase, we have a new blog for our family's adventures.  Of course, the star of the show will be Anna!

As I take the "reins" for this new blog, I want to share a bit about Tim.  He has spent the past 7 years writing about me, it's time I get to say a few things about him!  There is a song that says "God gave me you."  With Tim, I believe that is true.  He is a loving and supportive husband.  He has been there for me every step of the way and many times, a step ahead!  Thank you, Tim, for being everything I needed you to be!  I love you!

And now, for the light of our lives...Anna!  From the moment Anna was born in 2005, she and her Dad have had a special bond.  I love watching them together and seeing the joy they bring to each other's lives.  They make me laugh and I am so blessed by both of them!  The slideshow at the right has some of my favorite pictures. (And since I can't figure out how to make the slide show bigger, I'm putting them here in this post!)  Enjoy!