Love For Ashley

First, I want to thank those who donated money to Ashley's Liver Transplant Fund with the American Liver Foundation in honor of Ashley's birthday. We received four checks totaling $115 that I will be mailing to Ashley's liver transplant fund on Tuesday. Thanks to the Johnson family, the Koehne Family, the Stuart Family and the Blume family, your generous donation is very much appreciated. Not only did Ashley receive money for her liver transplant fund but she received so many gift cards and cash that she needs a bigger wallet to put it all in. Ashley is so excited about using her gift cards from the Limited Too, Justice, and Target to go shopping for school clothes. Not to mention the gift cards from Tijuana Flats and Dance Unique. Ashley also received some cool shirts and homemade jewelry too. In other words, Miss Ashley was spoiled. Using the theme "So You Think You Can Dance" to create Ashley's party was fun but a lot of work. Even though we had some issue...

Today Ashley and I spent the morning getting a manicure and a pedicure with our friends, the Deery's. The girls really went wild getting their nails painted in some loud colors with beautiful flowers painted on them. After our morning getting our nails painted, we all went to lunch at Chili's.

Today I received permission to share the pictures below from last week. The pictures are from the two days the kids spent at some friends house during Tropical Storm Fay. We met the Deery's at the dance studio and although we have both been part of the Studio for years, it took this summer for a friendship to develop. Brad, Ashley, Caroline and Katherine have enjoyed spending time this summer getting to know each other and developing what I hope is a long term friendship. I, of course, have enjoyed developing my own friendship with Laura, Kat and Caroline's mom. Ashley and Caroline playing Connect Four Ashley, Brad and Kat playing Twister. Notice Brad in the best position. Caroline is on the couch acting as the official spinner. The gang playing Apples to Apples, I have no clue what that game is but the kids had fun playing it together. Brad and Ashley getting ready to eat pizza...yummy! Caroline and Brad playing chess while watching the movie, Notebook. See kids can multi-t...

On Sunday, August 31, Ashley will finally have her 10th birthday party. We decided to go with the theme of " So You Think You can Dance ." We have invited over 25 of Ashley's friends, we have judges and awards; it should be fun. The girls are divided into 5 groups of 5 and will choreograph their own group routine to preselected music. The judges are older girls that were part of the Studio 5D Dance Company . I am praying that it goes well and all of the girls have a blast. So far all those invited will be attending so it's going to a room full of dancing screaming girls. I must be crazy...crazy in love with my daughter. This afternoon, I asked Ashley what she wanted for her birthday since her friends were asking what she likes. Right now, Ashley isn't into any one thing except dance. Today, as we were buying her party decorations, Ashley told me that she really wants someone to help her excel in dance, to help her with her leaps and turns. Ash has decided that sin...

As of right now, we are at 2990 visitors to Ashley's blog. If you are the 3000 visitor let me know, there is a nice surprise in it for you.

“Although Ashley’s liver is failing, she isn’t sick enough to be placed on the liver transplant list. We were told that Ashley would need a new liver by the time she reaches puberty." Ashley was born at the end of July in 1998, but her story doesn’t start there;her story begins when she was just a little peanut in my womb. At 24 weeks gestation we learned we were having a girl, but our little girl had something wrong with her. Imagine sitting in the examining room, and the excitement of learning you are having a girl, then at the same time you hear the silence in the room when something is just not right with the baby. We were told that Ashley possibly had an ovarian cyst. It was normal and not to worry. But something told us it was more than just an ovarian cyst. As soon as Ashley was delivered she struggled to live. The umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck twice, and she was blue. Thankfully the doctor cut the cord immediately and although Ashley was still blue; she was b...

The kids first week of school ended up being just one day thanks to Tropical Storm Fay. We have endured more rain and wind in the last 4 days that I have forgotten what sunshine looks and feels like. Unfortunately, just because the kids are out of school doesn't mean that Joey and I are out of work. However, the kids had fun spending two days at the Deery house. I would share pictures with you but I haven't asked permission to share them. But the kids had fun playing Twister, Apples to Apples, Chess and watching movies. Brad even sat through a showing of the Notebook, which he admitted was a very good movie. As I look out my kitchen window, the weather seems to be improving the rain is just a drizzle and the wind is calmer. Our neighborhood has a few tree branches down and mild flooding in some low lying areas but nothing major. We never lost power thank God but I am so ready for the rain to go away. We have tried dancing to "Rain Rain Go Away" but that didn't wor...