You Belong With Me!

Most importantly, Happy St. Patrick's Day from the Madster!

We finally made it out to Virginia last weekend to visit with my sister's family. Oh how we have missed the Smiths!

While we were in Charlottesville, I decided to take Maddie to her very first concert: Taylor Swift! Maddie thought it was super awesome, even though I'm sure it was an overwhelming experience for a five year old. And because of the three hour time difference BOTH of us were able to stay up the whole time! :o)

She got her very first concert poster and concert t-shirt. (I had to teach her how to do it right.)

World's most patient grandma taught Maddie how to crochet just in time for the five hour flight home. She sat for five hours straight and crocheted her little heart out like she was on crack or something. (See video) She DEFINITELY got the busy gene from me and her Grandma Linda.

Girls Weekend and Golf

Newport Beach with our friends, Kara & Kennedy. March Madness and championship games are the best time for girl weekends because Josh barely even notices that we aren't around. Which is fine with me......I always tell him that I am a single woman who happens to be happily married. :o)

We have a lot of fun golfing as a family. It's probably the one sport that we can all do together. (A naturally athletic man who picks things up quickly, the clutziest woman on Earth who would rather read a book, and a five year old who is somewhere between clutzy and naturally athletic - I pray that her dad's genes become more expressed as she grows up.)

The Cloud Has Lifted....

Grief is a pretty crappy thing to go through. It feels like it will never end. Like you will never be normal again. But I just want to say, as a ray of hope to everyone out there who will experience it in your life, that it does get better. Eventually. Everything starts out completely black. Then over time, everything is varying shades of gray. Then there are spots of color in your life. Then color more often, but with a kind of cloud over everything.

This time I knew what to watch for. And I knew how to grieve better. And I can say, with gratitude from the depths of my soul, that I have felt the cloud lift. There wasn't any specific event or moment. Sometimes time is the only thing that works. It has been eight months since I found out about my little Charlie Pants. Eight months of varying darkness, gray, and clouds. Sometimes it felt like I would never get out of this hole. That doesn't mean there aren't still times of sadness or missing the one you loved with all of your heart. But suddenly I feel "normal" again. And that is a really good thing.

February is a perfect month to get outdoors. (At least in Vegas)

Maddie has taken up golf lately. She is really into it. Is it because she has some natural Tiger-like ability? Oh no. It's because the boy who she insists that she will marry some day is a golfer (you know who you are P!).

Josh is in a garage band again. Only it's not in a garage. It's a bunch of guys from his law office that actually practice in a pretty high tech room. Yes, I'm their groupie. Yes, that is Josh's dad, Rick, as the lead singer. Yes, they are actually good. (They have a gig at their own office party in May. Concert details to follow.) Yes, they play songs that were from before I was born. And yes, that is Maddie's little head peaking up from behind Josh's drums. She LOVES going to their band practice. (Also, this picture was from my iPhone, which had a big finger print smudge over the lens. Sorry.)

Here are the Harris girls hiking at Red Rock.

And here is Maddie's official first eye roll. It was done good naturedly THIS time. But the fact that she knows how to do it freaked me out. In ten years, it will not be done with a smile.

Also, Karen, who is always up for an adventure, took us up to Zion's National Park in her motorhome for a day trip. Every time I go there I am blown away by the natural beauty. It is breathtaking.

The Life and Times of Miss Madster

Maddie just started taking piano lessons from my mom and takes it VERY serious. I feel bad that we don't have a piano at home for her to practice on.

Maddie is learning how to read and write and spell out words. It's awesome to find random thoughts of hers around the house.

Maddie's field trip to Nellis Air Force Base. Look at her smile. :o)

Maddie's Fun Times

Maddie Day Saturdays are back!! As you can see, Maddie loves them.

Cutest couple at the Father Daughter Valentine's Day Dance at Maddie's school. Don't you think?

Maddie wanted to practice dancing because she was nervous. :o)

Skiing at Lee Canyon

It's amazing to me that this is available minutes outside of Las Vegas.

My mom joined us too.

Maddie was adorable and brave her first time skiing in her ski class. There were boys twice her size that laid down and gave up and cried, and she just skied right around them. That's my girl!

Mad Hatter Tea Party Bridal Shower

I love having a friend who throws amazing parties (Kara) so that I can steal her ideas and borrow her decorations. When I get good ideas from people I like to try to pass it on.

And congratulations to my sister-in-law, Juli, who is getting married in a few weeks. We are so happy and excited for her!

San Diego Zoo

Dang it. I hate it when I am really behind on my posts.

Here is the wild and crazy Madster.com, who doesn't care if it is New Years Eve and freezing. She is getting in that ocean!

We flew down to San Diego for a weekend to visit the zoo and my brother Kyle, who is attending law school there. In a store in the Gaslamp District, Maddie wanted to by this.....um.....accessory. She didn't know that it was part of the store's decoration and the lady who worked there was wonderful to play along that it was a barrette. Except then Maddie wanted to wear it all weekend in her hair. It is absurd and adorable all at the same time.

We waited in line forever to see the brand new baby panda. He was so cute!

Our favorite animal was the party animal, Kyle, who always seemed to show up during meal times. :o)

If You Can......

So....Have I waited long enough to ask this without wrongfully taking advantage of people's sympathy? :o) Spinal Muscular Atrophy is genetic, and not extremely common, so it is difficult to get funding to find cures and treatments for the disease. I remember after Evan died,wanting to do anything I could to help. We were poor law students, so we did a walk-a-thon and got around $5000 donated from family and friends. Then, slowly, I lost touch with FSMA (the organization) because SURELY I would never have to deal with it again. Little did I know that I would lose another adorable son to this disease. And then I also realized that Maddie is probably a carrier. And so are at least a quarter of my nieces and nephews and cousins. Not to mention all of the other families around the world that are watching their children suffer and die. And I realized I have to try again.

I would like to try to quadruple our last donation. My goal this time is $20,000. Josh and I contributed half (if you look at the top of the website, you can see Charlie's cute little picture), and I am going to try to match that with donations. So, IF YOU CAN, I would like to ask for anyone who is able to contribute through the website below. Even $5 matters!!! You pay on the website with a credit or debit card, and then there is a place for you to put the name and address of the person you are donating for. Make sure you put in our name and information (you can send it to Josh's office, 801 S. Fourth Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101) so that we can be notified and keep track of what we have earned on behalf of Charlie and Evan. And also so I can send you a big fat thank you card!

http://www.fsma.org/2009AnnualCampaign/