It's our pleasure and honor to announce that a local businesswoman has stepped forward and offered to help us raise money for the "Ella House Fund"! Zana Maxwell, IPC for doTERRA Essential Oils, has dedicated the entire month of November to Ella!  Any sales generated by us (and you!) will result in a generous donation to Ella through Zana! Please take a moment to view her website.  Learn about the wonders of essential oils.   Get some great ideas and products for your holidays! (new online holiday catalog coming out soon!) Website:  Direct Link:   Spoiled by Oil Copy and Paste:  www.mydoterra.com/spoiledbyoil Please share as you see fit Zana Maxwell's contact info:   zanzan2619@gmail.com Zana Maxwell's IPC #:  540785

The sight of Ella standing by herself has long eluded us.  She was briefly able to stand while holding onto something as a baby...a milestone that never passed the assisted stage and in fact, never developed into the next milestone. Shortly after she stood while holding on to something she was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy.  Our sights were directed into another direction, one we never imagined. That direction included, but wasn't limited to, therapies, equipment, heartaches, sleepless nights one after another, scary hospital visits, a knowledge of the complexities of the human body, fundraisers, and miracles. The picture below is one such miracle.
  According to Wikipedia, the first part of the definition for "miracle" reads: "A miracle is an event not ascribable to human power or the laws of nature and consequently attributed to a supernatural, especially divine, agency".   My ...

Life after Ella's diagnosis was rough.  Rough in many ways. We were new to this disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy.  Our future, Ella's future, was unclear.   We knew she would probably never walk and we feared for if/when the disease would take her life.   She was officially diagnosed late summer of 2011 and after the reality started to sink in, I went to a dark place.  The darkest place I've ever been in my life. Fast forward a few months to the holiday season. The time from Thanksgiving until New Year's has ALWAYS been my absolute favorite time of year for as long as I can remember.  It's always so magical for me and it fills me with such joy (to the point where I kind of freaked out Michael during our first Christmas season together ;)). But the holiday season of 2011 was different.  It was dark.  And empty. I wanted to skip the holidays all together.   I didn't want to spend time with any friends.  I didn't even ...

The rain started in the late morning, just a slight drizzle, not enough to stop the mornings events.  It continued through the afternoon, off and on, building up more strength with each short rainfall. Our plan was to visit "Skinny Sweet" in the mid afternoon for the fundraiser they were hosting for Ella.  We came home from Henry's soccer game around lunch time, ate our lunch and began to get ready to go. Ella must leave our house through the front door these days since that's where her temporary ramps are.  Ava and Henry usually run out before her and play for a short bit in the front yard as they wait for the rest of the family.  I called Ella to the front door.  The whizzing sound of her wheelchair told me she was on her way.  She rounded the staircase and stopped, as I was between her and the door.  I wanted to tell her why we were going to Skinny Sweet. "Ella" I began, "today we're going to Skinny Sweet just for you.  The people who...

It's become a family favorite. The house is filled with screams and squeals of delight when it's mentioned. According to Henry, the drive is "soooo" long.  I guess to a 5 year-old it seems long, especially when he knows what awaits him. Each time we visit "Skinny Sweet" a new masterpiece is created by our children...and us!  The possibilities seem endless, the creativity is delicious, and the atmosphere compliments the good feelings we have while we're there. If you have yet to experience "Skinny Sweet Frozen Yogurt" (FROYO) you are long overdue. Not only are the owners and staff friendly and attentive, they are generous.   On October 12th, 2013 (from 12-9pm) Skinny Sweet will donate 20% of every sale to our "Ella Casten House Fund", which is our fundraising cause designed to help provide an accessible house for Ella.  The customer only need mention her name and the donation will occur. C'mon out if you live in ...

Every parent knows it.  You have a newborn baby and suddenly sleep takes on a whole new meaning.   Babies wake up several times during the night for a variety of reasons; hunger, being wet, colic, figuring out the difference between night and day, etc..  As the parents we wake up with them, it's almost like a radar system...kind of neat how mother nature has built that into us. This waking throughout the night lasts for a few months.  Parents become increasingly exhausted because of it being coupled with the stressors of the daily waking life; work, house, family, etc.. It's often quite obvious when a person has a newborn in the house.  They just look tired from the lack of sleep.  They get through it though.  They struggle and find their way through those months until finally the baby begins sleeping through the night.  Slowly but surely the parents' sleep pattern returns to normal and things move along. For us we began this sleep d...