Summer!

Summer is here in the Colbert home.... well almost :)! Jacob has 2 1/2 days of school left and then it will officially be here, but these last few days have really felt like summer!!

There is a pool in our new development which we have gone to the past couple days. Last night we closed out the pool at 8 and as we sat poolside and ate dinner during the last break of the day, we talked about how it felt like we were on vacation. The pool was a very big deciding factor in buying the house that we are in as we know we will spend countless hours there each summer. I took a minute break last night from catching kids jumping in the pool to snap a couple pictures.

There's nothing quite like summer. I LOVE soaking in the sun, swimming on hot summer nights, not having to get up as early, suntanned skin, laundry that consists of bathing suits and beach towels, picnic lunches, long walks, bon fires, tired out kids, grilling, bleached out hair and daddy's softball games to name a few things. Hope you are enjoying some hot summer weather where you are too!

And one more picture of Jim playing with the kids outside one night this past week. He was giving each of them running piggyback rides and whoever wasn't on his back was chasing him around the yard. This picture captured a moment that I don't ever want to forget. My husband is an amazing daddy to our crew :)!

Girl of the Year/Trooper of the Year!

Friday night was the Grand Finale Gala for "The Man and Woman of the Year". Overall it was a very lovely evening although our sweet little Abbey wasn't feeling good. Definitely put a damper on things. Here's what the days leading up to Friday looked like...

My in laws came into town on Tuesday. They always bring much excitement when they come as the kids look forward to their visit for weeks (we do too :)! We had a few busy days catching up with grandmom and grandpop and getting all the last minute things ready for Friday. From our outfits to my speech to everything else in between, it was a lot to prepare for the big night.

Thursday afternoon Abbey fell asleep on the couch at about 4pm. That's pretty unusual for her as she really doesn't nap much these days. I chalked it up to her just being worn out from playing so hard with grandmom and grandpop and didn't think too much about it at first. By 5:30 she woke up burning up. Ugh. There was no way this kid could get sick the day before this event that we were to be a huge part of. That night she started throwing up.

On Friday, she woke up hot again and not keeping anything down. I spent the whole day laying in bed with her, praying that her fever would break, that she would start keeping something down and that she would get some strength to make it through the evening.

The Boy & Girl of the Year are such a big part of the whole 10 weeks, especially the grand finale. They were counting on us to be there and to fulfill the responsibilities that we had committed to. We were to share our stories with the crowd of nearly 400 people, there was a slideshow of the kids journeys, the kids each auctioned off stuffed animals that they had designed during the live auction and having the little survivors there is such a motivating factors for donors to be able to see first hand, the kind of people that their donations help. So, all that said it would've been very sad for LLS and Abbey if she were not there.

We had a babysitter coming at 5 to stay with Micah and Caleb and we needed to be in the car by 5:15 to get to the VIP event that started at 6. Abbey started throwing up again at 5. I started panicking inside. This poor girl! I could've just cried for her as we laid in my bed looking at her little dress hanging from my bathroom door. I gave her motrin and just started praying that it would kick in quick.

At 5:30, Jim came up and talked to Abbey. I prayed silently as this was pretty much it. We either needed to get in the car all together, or one of us were going to have to stay home with "The Girl of the Year."

Abbey sat up and said "o.k. I'm ready to go." I picked her up, carried her to a stool in my bathroom, styled her hair and slipped her into her little dress.

Once we got there she was so gracious to greet the many people that wanted to meet her and although she wasn't feeling good, she got through the evening. She was such a trooper! I was so thankful when the night was over, that she had made it through and that she was able to be there. She had been looking forward to it for soooo long so if she would've missed it, it would've been heartbreaking.

Altogether, LLS raised over $196,000 from this fundraiser. Abbey & Eric's stories were used throughout the 10 week campaign and again on Friday night to motivate people to give to this cause that has helped so many families like ours and will continue to help many families in the future.

It truly was an evening to remember. It was an honor that Abbey was chosen to be "The Girl of the Year" and it feels so good to be able to use our trial to help others.

Aunt Patty putting on Abbey's "Girl of the Year" sash.

Waiting for a toast to start off the evening.

Sharing our story with the crowd

Abbey & Eric (Boy of the Year) auctioning off the bears that they designed. Their bears each went for $700!!!

Our family :)

And if you're wondering how Abbey is feeling now.... She's much better as of today (Monday). She got worse after Friday night and had a couple really rough days. She's on the mend now, but poor Micah is out for the count. He's pretty sick :(! Hoping he kicks it soon and that no one else gets it!

Girl of the Year

So life here has been pretty busy. I mentioned a while back about Abbey being the girl of the year for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society's biggest fundraising event called Man & Woman of the Year. The 9 candidates have been very hard at work as they are all campaigning and doing fundraisers to raise funds and awareness for blood cancers. Abbey's sweet little smile and her courageous story have been used countless times over these past 9 weeks to motivate people to contribute to this cause.

We have had the opportunity to go to several events and meet so many wonderful people. We have taken Abbey to all but 1 event (which was a casino night that went till 2am) and the response that we get from people when they have the chance to meet her never gets old. She looks like the picture of health and her beautiful blonde hair and precious little face is enough to get people to want to be a part of this cause. 40 years ago, people who were diagnosed with leukemia barely had a chance of beating it, usually dying within months of being diagnosed. Yet today there have been so many advancements in treatment that parents are getting to spend lifetimes with our precious children. Research has come so far and to be able to stand hand in hand with Abbey as we share our story has been amazing.

Words cannot express our gratitude for all that goes into this and for the time and energy that goes into each of the candidates fundraisers. We were told yesterday that over $100,000 has already been raised!

The final event is quickly approaching. It is May 20th at a hotel in Downtown Cleveland and there we will find out which candidate will be named Man or Woman of the Year. It sounds like a very exciting night with a live and silent auction, live band, food stations, slideshow of Abbey & Eric (boy of the year), and more :). Us and the Reisings (Eric's family) will again share our journeys with the crowd (they are expecting about 400 people to be there) and we are very much looking forward to the evening.

For more information about the final event, go to http://www.mwoy.org/noh/localchapter/finale

And a few more things :)...

For some reason the comments on my last post were erased. We have no idea what happened, but it must have been some sort of glitch with blogger. We see your comments through email so were able to see them all before they were erased. Sorry about that and thanks for continuing to follow and comment :)!

Also, wanted to let you all know that Abbey had her monthly clinic visit this past Friday. Everything looked perfect :)!!! Her blood looked great and her body is quickly getting back to normal after coming off treatment 4 months ago. They were very pleased with how she looked and it felt awesome to once again hear that she is doing beautifully!

And Tuesday we will be welcoming my in-laws for a week :)! We are all so excited to have them here and are looking forward to our time with them!

Well, I think that's about it! I will add a couple random pictures to give you all something to look at. Have a great week :)!

Jim has been teaching Abbey to ride her bike with no training wheels. She's doing great and is very close :)!

We got a new swingset! Friends of ours were getting rid of it and they gave us an amazing deal on it (that's an understatement!). The kids have been loving it and are out there every chance they get! It has been raining A TON here so they have spent so many days looking at it out the window. We are getting a nice day here and there and on those days we are outside from sun up to sun down!

The kids have been making lots of forts to keep busy inside!

And of course Jim always helps on rainy days with wrestling, tickling and throwing the kids around :)!

And Caleb just being cute :) - carrying around a weed.

Thanks for checking in :)! I'll be sure to get lots of pictures this Friday to share from the Grand Finale Event!

Happy Mother's Day

A couple days late,.... but Happy Mothers Day :)!

I love my mom! She is so special to me and I feel blessed to be her daughter. So much of who I am and where I am today is because of her love and guidance in my life. She has always been my biggest fan and encourages me like no one else. She is one of the hardest workers I know. You will always see her jumping in and helping me out whether it's watching our kids, folding mounds of clean clothes or cleaning up my kitchen. She is a friend who I laugh with and cry with and whatever life throws at us I always know my mom is praying us through it. She is one of the easiest people to talk to and always who I call when I need someone to talk to. She is patient, kind and caring. My mom is precious to me and I hope she knows today and everyday that I treasure her. I love you mom!

I love my mother-in-law. I couldn't have created a better mother-in-law if I tried. She is one of the sweetest people I know. Her heart is kind and and her spirit is gentle. She is compassionate, caring and a very special friend of mine. Her life is an example to me of what it looks like to love God and others. I value the time that we get to spend together and am thankful to have her in my life. She too is precious to me and I hope she also knows that I treasure her. I love you mom Colbert!

And I love being a mommy! There is nothing that brings me more joy than my children. They each fill my heart to overflowing.

I love the way that Jacob loves people. He cares about everyone and is kind and sees the best in people. I love the way that Abbey loves to snuggle. She needs countless hugs throughout the day and when she's falling asleep at night she always wants to hold my hand. I love the way that Micah has to wave goodbye to whoever is leaving till they are completely out of sight. He yells bye till they are a mile away. And I love Caleb's face each time I walk into his room after a nap or in the morning. He smiles so big it's like it's the happiest moment of his life.

They are each precious to me and it's a privilege to be their mommy! I love you Jacob, Abbey, Micah & Caleb!!

Hope you had a wonderful Mothers Day, celebrating the moms in your life and if you're a mom, celebrating the blessing of being a mommy :)!