Video with the Girls

I just realized I never posted this video on here... ugh. Ok, so it's kind of old now, but it still cracks me up. Just CLICK HERE to go to the link for the video (it was made by the folks at Arnold Palmer Hospital).

Coming soon... pics from the girls' bday party (which is coming up this weekend). They are having a combined party with a princess theme... here's a sneak peak at what they'll be wearing:

Team Gower Power

We are a little less than TWO WEEKS from the WALK-N-ROLL for Spina Bifida event here in Orlando, FL. This is the Spina Bifida Association of Central Florida's inaugural WALK-N-ROLL event, and we're super excited about it!!!! We already have 290 people registered, and we anticipate around 500 participants the day of. The families and supporters have raised almost $30K, but we really need to try to get up to $50K. If you don't know what Spina Bifida is, you can click on the tab towards the top of this blog to learn more... or visit www.spinabifidaassociation.org.

In order to promote the event, we are showcasing several of our members. We hope to put a face to Spina Bifida and redefine how people view this complex birth defect. Here's one of the posters of Katelyn & Courtney.

If you are willing and able, please consider donating to Team Gower Power. Just click HERE to visit our team page. Your donation will help us continue our mission to promote the prevention of Spina Bifida and enhance the lives of all affected.

Thank you to all those that have already donated!!!!   :)

New School Year

Since my last post, the kiddos have started the new school year!!! Andy is in 4th grade, Jacob is in 1st, Katelyn started Kindergarten and Courtney is in preschool. I was most nervous about Katelyn starting Kindergarten because she'd have to cath at school... YIKES! Well, things have gone very well. She is doing it mostly by herself, with just a bit of assistance from the school nurse. Her teacher, the nurse and the office staff are all getting to know her and really like her... she's quite the character!

The kiddos ride the bus to school as well... and that seems to be going fine. Katelyn hasn't been nervous about anything. Having her two big brothers to look after her has helped A LOT! Last night she mentioned that some little boy at school was picking on her a bit, and both of her brothers told her to point him out to them and they'll make sure he doesn't bother her anymore. LOL. No, they wouldn't get violent or anything, but I'm sure they'd let the kid know that no one picks on their little sister.

We had an amazing surprise right when school was starting... Courtney's foster family came to visit! We found out a few weeks before they got here and invited them to attend a Spina Bifida event with us and then to come to our house for lunch after Courtney's first day of preschool. We were all a little nervous... no one knew how anyone else would react, and no one knew what Courtney would think of the whole situation. It went really well, though. She definitely remembered them and was happy to see them... but she never got anxious or confused. She knew she wasn't going back to China, and she knew Mommy and Daddy (and her brothers and sister) were right there with her.

So... what's on tap for the next couple of months??? Well, our big event will be the WALK-N-ROLL for Spina Bifida event on October 29th. If you haven't donated, please visit our page HERE... funds raised from this event will benefit the individuals and families affected by Spina Bifida right here in Central Florida! Thank you so much to all those that have already donated!!!!

We're also starting a new program at our church... I'm honored to be the Commander for the new Awana Clubs at PCOL. It's a lot of work to get organized, but it's going to be great for all those involved. I think the teachers are even more excited about it than the kids... we have parent orientation tomorrow night (kids get to meet their leaders/teachers) and club starts September 7th.

And here I thought I'd have free time once the kids were all back in school. HA!  :)

TEAM GOWER POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How can you help the more than 200 people that the SBACFL serves???

On Saturday, October 29, 2011, the Spina Bifida Association of Central Florida (SBACFL) will be hosting their inaugural WALK-N-ROLL® for Spina Bifida in Orlando, Florida, at Blue Jacket Park. The purpose of the WALK-N-ROLL for Spina Bifida is to raise funds to support the mission of the Spina Bifida Association of Central Florida (to promote the prevention of Spina Bifida and enhance the lives of all affected). Future programs benefiting from the Walk include: welcome packets for new parents that have a child with Spina Bifida, providing manuals to local school districts so they can provide safe latex-free environments, maintaining a public office for our membership, building a library of resource materials, building a supply of gently used walkers/wheelchairs to be used as needed, initiating programs to encourage independence and raise self-esteem, purchasing hand-propelled trikes and other adapted equipment to be shared by families.

The Spina Bifida Association of Central Florida (SBACFL) currently serves more than 200 adults and children who live with the challenges of Spina Bifida and their familes. Since 1975, SBACFL, as part of a network of chapters of the national Spina Bifida Association (SBA), has touched the lives of those affected by this challenging birth defect. Education, advocacy, research, and service are at the heart of SBA’s and SBACFL’s programs.

Spina Bifida is a neural tube defect that happens in the first month of pregnancy when the spinal column doesn't close completely. An estimated 166,000 people in the United States are currently living with Spina Bifida, the most common permanently disabling birth defect.  There are 65 million women at risk of having a baby born with Spina Bifida. Every day, an average of eight births is affected by Spina Bifida or a similar birth defect of the brain and spine. 

We encourage you to join us as a walker/roller... if you cannot join us, consider becoming a virtual walker/roller or donate to a team that is participating. Visit www.walknrollsbacfl.org to learn more.

Click on above pic to donate directly to Team Gower Power!!!!!!!!!

Latest News

Goodness... time just flies by! The kids have been out of school for over a month now, and yes, they are ready to start school again. Courtney's surgery went very well, and her foot is much more flexible now, which means it fits into her AFO better. Katelyn learned how to swim by herself last month and Jacob got a super short haircut (his hair hasn't been this short since, well... since ever!

I had a blast attending the Spina Bifida Conference last month... I met lots of great folks, including many of the moms that I "chat" with online. I also learned more info to help our Chapter and, more importantly, more info to help the girls.

Here are some pics from this past month:

Katelyn rolling down the hill waiting for fireworks

attempting the annual July 4th pyramid

sparks were flying

kids playing in the fountain where our Walk-N-Roll will be in the Fall

the final shuttle launch

courtesy of Amanda Kern

courtesy of Amanda Kern

courtesy of Amanda Kern

End of the School Year

It's hard to believe today was the last day of school for our kids. The kiddos all did great. Jacob excelled in everything, completing his "10th Hundred" words (not bad for Kindergarten). Andrew had all A's and one B the entire year and did GREAT on his FCATs. Katelyn has VPK graduation tonight and will be leading the group in prayer. Courtney loved preschool and was voted the messiest kid by the staff... you should see this girl when she comes home!!! She loves to play and isn't afraid of dirt!

Now to figure out what to do to keep everyone happy over the summer. Unfortunately, we won't be able to go to any water parks or splash pads for a while... Courtney is having surgery on her left foot next week and will be in a cast for 4 weeks. Bummer. Hopefully the weeks will pass quickly and we'll be able to find other things to occupy our time!

Trip to Costa Rica

This time last week, Scott and I were driving to our little getaway for my "surprise" vacation! Scott had this one all planned out, and I had no clue where we were going till we arrived at the check-in counter.

We had a fabulous time in Costa Rica. The people were all very friendly, the food was scrumptious and the scenery was beautiful. Scott figured that we drove about 700 miles while we were there... soooo much to see!!!

We rented a car and visited several sites. Our first full day we went on a zip line in the canopy. VERY cool. I had never done that before, so it was a totally new experience. After that, we drove around to see some other places. That night we went out to dinner... the meal was very good, but the view of the Pacific (and sunset) was even better. Of course, it was a bit cloudy/hazy, but it was still wonderful.

Over the next couple of days we visited parks and beaches and two volcanoes! One of the gentlemen we met while doing the zip line is starting his own business as a guide, so he went with us to the volcanoes... we learned lots of info about the various plants and animals in Costa Rica, and he was a great guy to hang out with... if anyone is planning a trip to Costa Rica and needs a guide, let us know!!!

Here are some pics from our trip:

Scott in our trustworthy car, which he named Pablo

The crocodiles under the Tarcoles bridge

a sloth that was crossing the road

standing in the middle of the crater at Irazu Volcano

Another crater at Irazu

Top of Irazu looking down

Lagoon at Poaz Volcano

Zip line

Zip line

We're looking forward to going back one day and bringing the kids. Many thanks to all those that helped make this trip happen. I'm still blown away that Scott did all of this for me... for us. Way too cool!

SB Funny

Dealing with SB related issues has become so normal for us, that we really don't think about things like cathing and AFOs and such. Just a little while ago I received a phone call from Courtney's preschool teacher (who is super sweet!!!). Apparently the kids had decided to play "beach," so Courtney took her shoes off. Ms Kim didn't think anything of it until it was time to put shoes back on and she didn't know what to do with Courtney's AFO!! 

I had totally neglected to show anyone at the school how to take the AFO off or put it back on... it just didn't even cross my mind! Poor Ms Kim was so worried that Courtney would hurt herself walking around without it, or that she would hurt Courtney trying to put it back on. So I headed over there to help Courtney and show Ms Kim what to do in the future.

While there, Ms Kim told me that the kiddos had talked about boo boos at one point, and the kids showed each other their boo boos. Of course, Courtney decided to show off her very large scar on her back from her surgery back in September. It's not a normal scar because it didn't heal well (look up keloid and you'll see what I mean). The kids didn't know what to think of it... but they were obviously very concerned for Courtney. Ms Kim said that they all wanted to touch it and some even leaned over to kiss Courtney's boo boo. Courtney, who LOVES attention, had no problem with any of this as the kids continued to ask her if it hurt or anything. Ms Kim said it was a very touching and emotional moment for her to watch the kids being so concerned about one of their classmates.

Sometimes we just forget how amazing our girls really are... to us, they are our daughters... yes SB is a big part of their lives, but it doesn't define them. Still, to others, it's a huge deal. All the more reason to continue to spread awareness and educate others so they aren't afraid, nervous or uncomfortable when dealing with kiddos that just happen to have SB.

Katelyn's School Pics

I know that everyone thinks their children are beautiful... so I know that I'm completely biased here. Just wanted to share some pics of Katelyn that were taken at school a couple of weeks ago. Once again, proof that Scott needs to go out and purchase a shotgun.  LOL

One Year

Would you believe that yesterday marked one whole year since Courtney was placed in our arms?!?! It seems like yesterday when I was still waiting for all the different steps to be complete so we could travel to bring her home. Speaking of anniversaries, June will mark THREE years since Katelyn joined our family. Both girls have come so far in such a short time. I look forward to watching them continue to grow and blossom into beautiful young ladies.

Here are some pics from our recent trip to Georgia to see Scott's cousin, Sarah, get married (congrats Sarah & Nick!!).

Courtney is amazed by this little worm

yes, Andrew is picking the nose of the carving on the tree

Nana and Pops trying to keep up with Katelyn  :)

Ok, so not everyone looks thrilled, but at least everyone stood still for a brief moment!

Cousins

Totally forgot to also add pics of the kiddos and their cousins... my brother's boys came down for their Spring Break and stayed with my parents. Of course, Mom and Dad had to bring them to Disney & Universal! We went over after church so the kids could play... my parents brought the RV up, so the pics are from the swampy area behind the RV at Ft Wilderness.