Xyngular

Hi everyone!! I just started a home business selling diet and energy supplements.  A good friend of mine was getting thin and making money so I decided to jump in on this wonderful product!!! If you are interested in losing weight, getting energy, and/or making money, please email me at andreaxyngular@aol.com

I will also have samples in soon, so if you want them, email me!!! You can check out my website at www.xyngular.com/aquirk

Caleb turned ONE!!

I can't believe it...Caleb turned One Year Old on July 23rd. This year has gone by so fast. He has somehow overnight become this little fireball that moves really quickly, gets into everything, is very rough and tumble (he is all boy), and has the cutest little sense of humor. Everyday is truly a blessing after all that we have gone through over this past year. He deserved a huge celebration! So we had a race car party! He LOVED it and had tons of fun. His Nana and Grumpy and his Grandma were in attendance as well as TONS of friends! It was a great day! Here are a few pictures!

The four of us before the party started

POOL TIME!!!!

Ball pit fun with his Bestie

And finally CAKE!

Heaven's sweetest angel..

One year ago today, my dear friend Jillian gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Wyatt. Wyatt had HLHS like Caleb, but Wyatt unfortunately also had a blood clotting disorder. He had his stage 2 surgery in January, but due to a blood clot, Wyatt passed away on 1/24/11. Today is his birthday, and like anyone that we love, we wanted to do something for Wyatt. Since we can't take a trip to Heaven to give him gifts and cake, we decided to send him balloons and say a prayer for him and his wonderful family.  We love you and miss you Wyatt.

 Caleb ready to send the balloons to Wyatt

Please say a prayer for Wyatt and his family. Wyatt touched my heart before he was even born, and his name will always live on. He was a true Warrior. God Bless you Wyatt.

Time flies....

I don't even know where to start on everything that we have been up to this summer, so I think I am just going to give an update about what is currently happening.

Caleb had his Cardiology check up this week (we haven't been since March). Dr. Cotton said that he sounded and looked so good that we didn't need to do an echo! That was great news, because just this week Caleb has learned the art of temper tantrums and has also become quite clingy to me, so I do not think they would have gotten many good pictures of his heart anyway. We do not have to go back to the cardiologist until January! It is bitter sweet though, on one hand we are so happy that he is doing so well, but on the other hand I wish that echo's were performed monthly so that I had that peace of mind. But Caleb is doing great, and that is all I hope and pray for.

Joe has been really busy. He just checked into his new unit this week, so the new chapter in his career has started. The next few months leading up to his deployment are going to be busy with all of the training he has going on, but we are going to make the most out of all the time we have!

Caleb loves being outside. We have had him in his pool quite a bit and today we went on our first bike ride as a family. Joe and I have been talking about getting bikes for 3 years now, so last weekend we finally broke down and got them! It was a lot of fun. Caleb wasn't thrilled with the helmet, but he toughed it out and I think he enjoyed it up until about the last 5 minutes of it.


Caleb is getting pretty big. He weighed in at 19lbs5oz the other day. It is small in comparison to other babies, but we think he looks healthy:)

We hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend! I promise I will update soon. I can't believe in 2 weeks I am going to have a 1 year old!!!

Colby Red

Hi Everyone! I know I have not posted in awhile and I promise I will give you a Caleb update soon, but today I wanted to share a story about a wine and a boy named Colby.

(Taken from Sisters By Heart)

Communities in Action: "A Heartfelt Wine"

When life hands you grapes, make wine!

An Australian winemaker and his son, Colby, are making a tremendous difference in the heart community. Daryl Groom began making wine 30 years ago, well before his son was born.

Colby Rex Groom was born prematurely with a hole in his heart – a hole that seemed to have closed spontaneously. At eight years old, Colby’s heart began to show signs of trouble and doctors discovered a defective heart valve. Colby’s first open heart surgery (a valve repair) took place at 8 years of age. Unfortunately, the repair was unsuccessful and just 10 months later, Colby required a second open heart surgery to insert a mechanical valve. Colby’s back-to-back surgeries were devastating to the Groom family.

Long-time supporters of the American Heart Association, the Grooms knew that continuing their philanthropic efforts for heart research was now more important than ever. Colby continued the families’ fundraising efforts in his backyard, showing off his zipper scar at $10 a pop. Within a few years, Colby’s fundraising efforts reached unimaginable heights.

Last year, Colby approached his dad and asked him if they could make a wine together. Daryl, not knowing Colby’s intentions, agreed to make two barrels of a red blend from five different varietal grapes – Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Shiraz, Merlot and Petite Syrah. Several months after the harvesting, Colby asked his dad if the wine was “good enough to sell?” Daryl believed that it was…and Colby Red was born.

Colby shared his desire to sell the red blend and donate its proceeds to heart research. His purpose was simple, “I just want to help other kids.”

Since the Grooms began selling Colby Red, less than one year ago, they have raised $115,000 for heart research. They believe strongly in Colby Red’s mission and support the American Heart Association, St. Jude’s Hospital (which developed the mechanical valve placed in Colby’s heart), and are focusing closely on individual families in need and communities who support the sale of Colby Red.

Where can you purchase Colby Red and make a difference? Online at Cellar 360 or at your local Walgreens.

Daryl Groom, our fellow heart parent, simply stated: “You can feel sad about everything, or you can get out and make a difference.”

Help Colby and the Grooms make a difference in the heart community. Purchase Colby Red and enjoy a juicy and velvety red blend, all while donating much-needed funds to heart research. It’s a win-win!

Photo's by Risa Alt Photography

Our talented friend Risa Alt from Risa Alt Photography took our family pictures about a month ago and I couldn't be happier with them! Check out how talented she is! And if you are in the Eastern NC area, look her up!

We are on the move!

I am so sorry I have not been updating! We have been really busy this past month, but I wanted to let you all know that I HAVE A CRAWLER!!!!! He started about 2 weeks ago, but he wasn't moving very far, very fast. I attributed that to his laziness and was relieved that he probably wouldn't be "all over the place"....well boy was I wrong. It took him about a week, but now he is gone in a second. He follows us, goes after dog toys, cords, or anything else we don't want him to touch.. Its official, I have to baby proof my house. Before having a baby I always said "I will just teach my kids what they can and cannot touch"... Well here I am saying that it doesn't work. Caleb thinks that the word No is hysterical. He laughs and continues doing whatever it is that he is doing. If I put something up, he just tries to find a way to it or he finds something else to get into. It is amazing how babies learn to do things practically overnight.

Caleb still isn't saying "Mama", but he sure does say "Dada" and "yaya" and "fafa" a lot. He is also eating tons of food. He isn't fond of the bottle anymore though, so I find myself getting really creative in ways to try to get those calories in him. It is so important for him to gain weight for his next surgery, so unfortunately I am kind of obsessive about how he eats and what he eats. I do not know what he has to weigh for sure, but from the research I have done, it looks like he has to be around 30 pounds. A few weeks ago he weighed just under 18. Medically Caleb is doing really well. He doesn't go to the cardiologist for another month, so I am looking forward to that so I can hear the words "he looks great" from the doctor. It is really nerve wracking when you go months without an echo. I wish they did monthly echos just for my peace of mind!

This next month is going to prove to be an exciting one. Joe leaves next Monday to head to Virginia for a class. He will be gone for about 3 weeks, so Caleb and I will be heading to Florida to visit my family. I am really looking forward to relaxing by the pool with family and friends. We will miss Joe, but it will be a nice getaway. When we get back we are going to head up to Virginia for a weekend to see Joe and to take in the sites. I am sure we will have tons of pictures to share!

Well I am going to close with a couple of pictures:) This one is from Mike's Farm last week. We went to dinner with friends and neighbors:)

Amanda and I waiting to take off in our Huey ride! How many people get to say they have flown in a Huey?! And it was really cool getting to fly in what my husband flies for work!

Last but not least... Caleb and his best buddy Jackson at Sam's Club yesterday!